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Three errors come back to bite Detroit Tigers in 5-4 loss to Texas Rangers
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- Three errors come back to bite Detroit Tigers in 5-4 loss to Texas Rangers
First baseman Spencer Torkelson didn't make the routine play in the ninth inning.
He wasn't the only one.
The Detroit Tigers committed three errors, one in each of the three run-scoring innings, in a 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers in the third of four games at Comerica Park.
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"We didn't play clean, which is obvious," manager A.J. Hinch said. "That's not always recognizable on the scoreboard with errors, but today, it was. They took advantage of virtually every error. ... They scored each time we made a mistake, and in a one-run game, everything matters. In that regard, it was not a great clean game."
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In the ninth, Evan Carter reached safely on Torkelson's fielding error with one out and a runner on first base. Torkelson tried to scoop the bouncer down the first-base line, but the ball popped out of his glove and rolled into foul territory.
"I was attacking the ball," Torkelson said. "Just didn't make the play."
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After that, pinch-hitter Josh Smith hit a splitter off right-handed reliever Shelby Miller that traveled far enough to right-center field to score the game-winning run from second base without a play at the plate.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal , who commands a 2.28 ERA through four starts, allowed four runs (two earned runs) on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts across 6⅓ innings, throwing 86 pitches. All four runs scored during two innings in which the Tigers allowed the first batter to reach safely on an error.
The game-winning run also scored after Torkelson's error in the ninth inning.
Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers stands on first base during the first inning of a game against the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
The defense didn't play clean for what felt like the first time all season. It was an uncharacteristic brand of baseball for the Tigers, having entered Wednesday's game ranked second among 30 teams with five errors in more than 1,400 innings. The next three errors just about gifted five runs to the Rangers .
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"That's the game," Torkelson said. "You gotta take care of the ball. Good teams, great teams, they capitalize on mistakes, and that's exactly what they did."
The Tigers (10-8) can split the four-game series with a win over the Rangers in Thursday's series finale.
Marcus Semien of the Texas Rangers talks with Colt Keith of the Detroit Tigers at second base during the first inning of a game at Comerica Park on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
In the bottom of the ninth, Torkelson, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter struck out against right-handed reliever Kirby Yates . Greene struck out looking on a down-and-away fastball; Torkelson struck out swinging on a splitter below the strike zone; Carpenter struck out looking on a splitter at the bottom of the strike zone.
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Yates painted the edges on the Greene and Carpenter strikeouts. The three strikeouts stranded Mark Canha , who drew a one-out walk, to end the game.
"I feel like my approach, my plan is paying off," said Torkelson, who hit a double and worked a walk in the one-run loss. "I'm just sticking with it."
Tarik Skubal hurt by errors
Facing Skubal, the Rangers scored one run in the first inning and three runs in the sixth inning.
The two teams were tied, 1-1, entering the sixth, when second baseman Colt Keith fumbled a routine ground ball off the bat of Marcus Semien . The error in the sixth, just like the error in the first inning, led to damage on the scoreboard.
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"I didn't do as good a job of limiting damage in the sixth inning," Skubal said.
Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers throws a pitch during the first inning of a game against the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
Corey Seager , a left-handed hitter who has put just 16.7% of balls in play to the opposite field this season, took advantage of the Tigers shading their infielders toward the right side of the field. He tapped a sinker down the third-base line and into left field.
With one out, Adolis García skied a first-pitch changeup to right-center field. The ball bounced off the yellow line at the top of the wall and deflected back into the outfield, leaving García with an RBI double instead of a three-run home run.
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But the RBI double put the Rangers ahead, 2-1.
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The Rangers extended the lead to 4-1 with Jonah Heim 's two-run single off Skubal's slider past the drawn-in infield. Heim snuck the ball beyond the reach of a lunging Keith up the middle.
It wasn't a hard hit, but it was hit just enough toward center field to score both runners in scoring position.
"The one pitch, the one I want back is the one to Heim," Skubal said. "The one to Adolis, sure it's elevated, but whatever. The 0-2 pitch to Heim has just got to be a little bit better, so that's the one I want back, but other than that, I felt good."
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In the first inning, the Rangers scored their first run after Semien reached safely on a throwing error by Skubal. The ball knocked off Skubal's glove and deflected to the third-base side of the mound, and although Skubal picked up the ball, his wild throw pulled Torkelson away from first base.
Torkelson had no chance to catch the ball while keeping his foot on the base.
"Hard comebacker right off his glove," Torkelson said. "I think he just rushed the throw a little bit. Weird grip, maybe. I made sure I got the ball first. If I try to stay on the bag there, that ball goes into right field and he gets second base."
Skubal then allowed single to Seager and walked Wyatt Langford on four pitches.
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Semien scored on García's sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.
"That was all kind of self-inflicted, right?" Skubal said. "Second pitch of the game, I don't play catch, and it kind of costs us and puts us in a hole early. I was able to get out of it with limited damage, but it's easier to face Corey Seager with nobody on than face him with somebody on."
Skubal, who generated 14 whiffs on 54 swings, threw 22 pitches in the first inning and 15 pitches in the sixth inning, needing just 49 pitches in the other 4⅓ innings for an average of 9.8 pitches in the errorless innings and 18.5 pitches in the innings with the costly errors.
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Parker Meadows snaps slump
The Tigers never took the lead away from the Rangers, but a pair of runs across the sixth and seventh innings put them in a position complete the comeback.
Parker Meadows, who had two hits in his first 38 at-bats this season, snapped an 0-for-18 slump with a solo home run to right field in the seventh inning, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
"Felt good," Meadows said. "Felt good to find a barrel. It's been too long. I've been seeing the ball better in the past couple days. I'll just continue to build on that."
Meadows, an above-average defender in center field, turned on a 90.7 mph fastball from right-handed reliever Austin Pruitt . He hit the ball with a 108.7 mph exit velocity.
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It was Meadows' first homer of the season.
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The Rangers helped the Tigers with an error in the sixth inning, as Seager threw the ball too high for the first baseman with two outs. Keith should have grounded out, but instead, he raced to second base while Torkelson — who hit a leadoff double — scored for the Tigers' second run.
In the second inning, Carpenter blasted a solo home run to right field off right-hander Dane Dunning 's up-and-in sinker. He hit the ball 426 feet with a 108.3 mph exit velocity.
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Carpenter has three homers this season.
Dunning allowed two runs (one earned run) on three hits and four walks with five strikeouts across five innings, throwing 97 pitches. He generated 11 whiffs on 37 swings.
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: 3 errors come back to bite Detroit Tigers in 5-4 loss to Texas Rangers
