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Offense, not Kenta Maeda, to blame in Detroit Tigers' 4-0 loss to Oakland Athletics
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- Offense, not Kenta Maeda, to blame in Detroit Tigers' 4-0 loss to Oakland Athletics
Kenta Maeda heard cheers as he walked to the dugout.
There were some boos in the air when Maeda surrendered a two-run home run to Brent Rooker in the first inning, but after battling his way into the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics , Maeda received the cheers he deserved from the fans at Comerica Park.
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"It was an absolute pleasure to pitch in Comerica," Maeda said in Japanese, interpreted by Dai Sekizaki. "It would have been nice if I could have gotten the team win, but nonetheless, it was a fun day."
The Detroit Tigers lost 4-0 to the Athletics.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda (18) walks off the field after pitching the first inning against Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
Maeda, who signed a two-year, $24 million contract in the offseason and made his home debut as a Tiger in Saturday's game, couldn't complete the sixth inning and was charged with three runs, but he wasn't the reason why the Tigers (6-2) failed to beat the A's in the second of three games.
Blame the absent offense.
"We couldn't get continuous stress or pressure on them, really the entire day," manager A.J. Hinch said. "We did have the double and the walk, and then that was it. The eighth inning is really late to get anything going, especially since they extended their lead. Not a great day offensively for us."
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Oakland Athletics pitcher Paul Blackburn (58) throws against Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
Right-hander Paul Blackburn completed six scoreless innings on three hits and zero walks with four strikeouts.
He mixed an array of non-fastball pitches.
"He just teases you with a variety of pitches," Hinch said.
The Tigers had a runner on second base with two outs in the first inning and in the sixth inning. Both times, Riley Greene grounded out to the right side of the infield to end the inning.
In the first inning, Kerry Carpenter hit a double to center field. The 409-foot double would have been a home run in 22 of 30 MLB stadiums, but not at Comerica Park. In the sixth inning, Parker Meadows hit a leadoff single, only to watch Spencer Torkelson and Carpenter strike out swinging, then he swiped second base for his first steal.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda (18) walks off the field after pitching the first inning against Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
Torkelson chased a down-and-away slider, while Carpenter whiffed at an elevated fastball. But Greene's grounder stranded Meadows in the sixth, just like it stranded Carpenter in the first.
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"He started soft, he finished soft," Torkelson said of Blackburn. "I mean, he really just stayed out of the middle. Even if he was a little softer, throwing more offspeed pitches, if it was more in the heart of the plate, I think we would have done more damage. Definitely should have been a day where we tried to take our knock, grind him out and get him out an inning or two earlier to get to the bullpen."
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Facing right-handed reliever Mason Miller , Carson Kelly shot a 101 mph fastball into the right-field corner in the eighth inning. Torkelson drew a two-out walk — this time refusing to swing at down-and-away pitches — to keep the inning alive, but Carpenter grounded out to the right side of the infield to end the inning.
The Tigers finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
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Kenta Maeda battles
Maeda struggled in his first start of the season against the Chicago White Sox . His second start got off to a bad start, with Rooker tagging a slider that moved horizontally but hung around the top of the zone for a two-run home run in the first inning.
It was a 409-foot homer to left field.
"The first inning I struggled continuously, continuing from last outing with the mechanics and everything," Maeda said. "I was able to attack the hitter from the second inning on, and that was a big part of my outing. ... The longer the starter eats innings, I think we have a higher chance of winning."
Oakland Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker (25) celebrates after hitting a 2-run home run against Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
The trouble in the first inning began with a one-out walk, and walks were an issue throughout Maeda's outing. He walked four batters: one each in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings.
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But Maeda limited the damage.
"It's going to all start and end with his fastball," Hinch said, "and his ability to carry the secondary stuff with him as the fastball gets better."
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Maeda walked leadoff hitter Zack Gelof on six pitches in the sixth inning, but he bounced back by retiring JJ Bleday (pop out) and Rooker (groundout) before he was replaced by left-handed reliever Joey Wentz .
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Wentz immediately gave up an RBI single to Seth Brown on a middle-middle fastball, just his second pitch. Although Wentz allowed the hit, making it 3-0 in favor of the Athletics, the third run was charged to Maeda because he walked the runner to open the inning.
Maeda, who threw 47 of 87 pitches for strikes, averaged 89.2 mph with his fastball, down from 91 mph last season. He generated just four misses on 15 swings against his splitter for a 26.7% whiff rate, down from a 35% whiff rate last season. He gave up three runs on two hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 5⅔ innings.
The slider was his worst pitch against the A's.
"The slider in general is still a work in progress," Maeda said. "I think there needs to be more improvements."
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Will Vest
The same thing that happened to Maeda in the sixth inning happened to Wentz in the eighth inning.
Wentz walked Gelof to open the eighth. Gelof stole second base, and although Wentz bounced back by striking out Bleday, he was replaced by right-handed reliever Will Vest.
Vest immediately gave up an RBI single to Rooker on a middle-in slider, just his third pitch. The run, of course, was charged to Wentz. Vest escaped further trouble in the eighth and also completed the ninth inning.
The offense, though, didn't provide any runs.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Offense, not Kenta Maeda, to blame in Detroit Tigers' 4-0 loss to A's
