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Detroit Tigers' Reese Olson rocked again in 10-0 loss to Milwaukee Brewers
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- Detroit Tigers' Reese Olson rocked again in 10-0 loss to Milwaukee Brewers
The Detroit Tigers looked lifeless in front of 24,152 fans in their return to Comerica Park, losing 10-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Friday's opener of a three-game series.
It was a bad loss from a mediocre team.
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Right-hander Reese Olson surrendered eight runs on 12 hits, the offense recorded just two hits, the infield defense made an inexcusable mistake in the second inning and position player Zach McKinstry pitched in the ninth inning.
The Tigers (31-32) have been outscored 19-1 (with four hits) in their past two games. McKinstry pitched in both of the games, a 9-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday and then again in Friday's ninth inning.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson looks to first during the first inning of the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, June 7, 2024.
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He was effective. Olson, however, was not. Making his 12th start of the season, the right-hander gave up five runs on six hits in the second inning and four runs on six hits in the fourth inning. He has allowed 13 runs across his past two starts, sending his ERA from 1.92 to 3.43.
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The Brewers traded Olson, then a prospect, for left-handed reliever Daniel Norris at the 2021 trade deadline. The trade is considered one of the best moves in Al Avila's seven-year tenure as general manager from 2015-22.
But the Brewers spoiled Olson's opportunity for revenge.
The Brewers tallied six hits against Olson's fastball, four hits off his changeup, one hit off his slider and one hit off his sinker. Olson finished with one walk and six strikeouts across four innings, throwing 89 pitches.
While the Brewers had 16 hits, the Tigers countered with two hits, one at the beginning and one at the end: a leadoff single from Matt Vierling in the first inning and a single from McKinstry in the ninth.
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For the Brewers, right-hander Tobias Meyers tossed eight scoreless innings on one hit and three walks with five strikeouts. Right-handed reliever James Meeker handled the ninth in his MLB debut.
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A sloppy mistake
The Brewers scored their fifth run of the game on a steal from Christian Yelich with runners on the corners and two outs in the second inning.
Catcher Carson Kelly threw down to second base, but nobody was covering the bag, which allowed the lead runner — Brice Turang — to score easily. Second baseman Colt Keith fielded the ball on a bounce behind second base.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling hits a single in the first inning of the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, June 7, 2024.
Cheering for Zach McKinstry
The Brewers added their final two runs in the fifth inning against right-handed reliever Beau Brieske .
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In the ninth inning, McKinstry took over on the mound with the game out of hand. He retired all three batters he faced: Rhys Hoskins (flyout), Jake Bauers (pop out) and Joey Ortiz (groundout).
McKinstry received a standing ovation from the fans as he walked from the mound to the dugout. The fans booed Javier Báez — hitting .181 with a .455 OPS after finishing 0-for-3 with one strikeout — several times throughout the blowout loss.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' bats go quiet in 10-0 loss to Milwaukee Brewers
