Can the Detroit Tigers catch up with the struggling Minnesota Twins?
Minnesota Star Tribune sportswriter Bobby Nightengale joins Days of Roar to discuss how the struggling Minnesota Twins are helping the Detroit Tigers.
KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever Jason Foley jogged from the bullpen to the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Kansas City Royals while the free runner was on second base.
Foley’s job was to defend a two-run lead and face the best hitters in the Royals’ lineup.
A successful performance by Foley completed the Tigers’ 3-1 victory over the Royals in the second of three games of the series at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday.
The Tigers (79-73) extended their winning streak to three games and continued their winning streak in the hunt for the third and final American League wild card spot, securing their 24th win in 34 games.
With the win, the Tigers remained 1½ games behind the Minnesota Twins in the wild-card race, which is 2½ games when taking the tiebreaker into account, as the Twins defeated the Cleveland Guardians in the second of four games in their series.
There are still 10 games left in the regular season.
In the 10th inning, the Tigers took a 2-1 lead on a bloop single by Parker Meadows after he threw a changeup pitch into shallow left field. The free runner in extra innings scored from third base, but the runner only got to third base because of hesitation from right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg.
The Tigers extended their lead to 3-1 when Riley Greene hit an RBI single to center with two outs and Meadows scored from second base. Meadows had moved to second base because Erceg allowed a walk on four pitches to Matt Vierling.
In the second half of the 10th inning, Foley sent Bobby Witt Jr. (groundout), Salvador Perez (flyout) and Michael Massey (flyout) to the field.
Foley only needed 11 throws.
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Save Casey Mize
Right-hander Casey Mize didn’t exactly put in his best performance in his 20th start, but he struggled especially in the fifth inning when he loaded all bases with one out and had to end the game early.
The 27-year-old walked Witt and Perez, his last two batters. The Tigers then turned to right-handed reliever Shelby Miller, who brought about a double play to end the inning with a slider to Massey on the first pitch.
Thanks to Miller, Mize allowed just one run on six hits, four walks and three strikeouts in 4⅓ innings and 89 pitches thrown.
There were some positive signs: His velocity on his four-seam fastball (up 1.4 mph), slider (up 2.8 mph) and splitter (up 3 mph) was higher, and his slider caused four mishits in nine swings. It was a step in the right direction, even if Mize had below-average control.
In the third inning, Meadows made an incredible running catch in center field that prevented Mize from scoring another run. The running catch left two runners behind.
Mize has an ERA of 4.36 in 20 starts.
Cooked by Cole Ragans
The Royals have the second-best left-hander in the AL in Cole Ragans, and that’s only because Tarik Skubal – the Tigers’ star – is the undisputed best left-hander.
Against the Tigers, Ragans allowed one run on four hits and four walks in seven innings, with six strikeouts, and threw 105 pitches. The highlight of his 31st start was leaving two runners on the bench in the fourth inning with consecutive strikeouts of Trey Sweeney and Dillon Dingler.
But the Tigers took a 1-0 lead with their first two batters when Andy Ibáñez reached base safely with a hit-by-pitch and Vierling hit an RBI double into left center field with a middle-middle cutter.
Ragans then eliminated the Tigers.
He has an ERA of 3.24 in 31 starts.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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