Spencer Torkelson’s Frustration Boiling Over as Tigers Continue to Spiral
The frustration is becoming impossible to ignore for the Detroit Tigers .
After Tuesday night’s crushing 10-6 loss to the Los Angeles Angels , Spencer Torkelson openly admitted the clubhouse is feeling the weight of one of the worst stretches of baseball in the league.
“We’re all frustrated,” Torkelson said after the loss. “I feel like we all have a little bit more to give to this team, but it’s just not happening right now.”
Torkelson’s comments came after another difficult personal night at the plate during what has become a brutal season slump for the Tigers first baseman.
Spencer Torkelson’s struggles continue to mount
Torkelson finished Tuesday’s game 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, continuing a difficult season that has seen his batting average drop to just .198.
Still, he nearly delivered the biggest swing of the night.
In the fifth inning, Torkelson crushed a bases-loaded fly ball down the left-field line that initially looked destined to become a grand slam. Comerica Park erupted as the ball carried toward the foul pole before ultimately slicing foul.
“Yeah, it went foul quick,” Torkelson said. “But I was obviously very hopeful at first.”
Instead of a game-changing moment for Detroit, the Tigers watched the game completely unravel late.
Tigers continue finding painful ways to lose
Detroit entered the eighth inning with a two-run lead before everything collapsed around reliever Will Vest .
The inning included a brutal bounce when a comebacker ricocheted off Vest’s backside for an infield single that extended the frame before Vaughn Grissom delivered the decisive grand slam.
“Vesty took one off his butt cheek,” Torkelson said. “[If not], that’s right to the second baseman, that’s out of the inning. But it’s just the way it’s going right now for us.”
That quote perfectly captured the mood surrounding the Tigers right now.
Nothing seems to come easy.
Nothing seems to bounce their way.
And every loss somehow feels worse than the one before it.
Spencer Torkelson trying to stay positive amid Tigers collapse
Despite the frustration, Torkelson insisted the clubhouse is still trying to fight through the adversity.
“But it’ll turn around,” Torkelson said. “Keep showing up, keep grinding.”
The Tigers briefly showed signs of life earlier in the game, battling back offensively and appearing ready to finally stop their downward spiral before the bullpen imploded again late.
“I thought we had some clutch innings to come back right there,” Torkelson said, “and then the last punch, we just couldn’t take. But I’m really proud of the way we played early in the game.”
Detroit has now lost seven straight games at Comerica Park and is tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball.
And judging by Torkelson’s comments Tuesday night, the frustration inside that clubhouse is only growing stronger.
