Detroit Tigers limited to four hits, two walks in 6-2 loss to Philadelphia Phillies
The Detroit Tigers needed just two pitches to score against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Facing ex-Tiger Spencer Turnbull, ex-Phillie Matt Vierling unloaded on a second-pitch fastball for a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the home run from Vierling was one of only four hits for the Tigers in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Phillies in the series finale at Comerica Park.
The Tigers (37-43) have lost five of their past six series.
"We just got to keep going," said Vierling, who tied his career high with 10 home runs in his fourth MLB season. "It might be a little bit of a tough stretch. We're playing into some unlucky stuff or whatever it may be with some losses, but we just got to come back tomorrow and keep fighting. We got a tough group. We got a good group of guys. We just got to keep going."
Turnbull, who pitched for the Tigers from 2018-23, allowed one run on one hit and two walks with two strikeouts across three innings. The Tigers non-tendered Turnbull after last season, severing what had become an awkward relationship.
His revenge game ended earlier than expected, only because he exited with right shoulder soreness after 36 pitches. The Phillies replaced Turnbull with left-handed reliever Gregory Soto, a fellow ex-Tiger, for the fourth inning.
Soto shut down the Tigers, as did most of the other relievers from the Phillies' bullpen. The Tigers didn't get their second hit of the game until Colt Keith's infield single off left-handed reliever Matt Strahm with two outs in the sixth inning.
In the third inning, Ryan Kreidler worked an impressive five-pitch walk when he refused to chase three pitches below the strike zone, but he was picked off by Turnbull and caught in a rundown. Riley Greene drew the only other walk in the second inning. (He was also hit by a pitch in the fourth.)
The Tigers didn't advance a runner into scoring position until Vierling's leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth inning against left-handed reliever José Alvarado.
Vierling, who had two of his team's four hits, scored on Andy Ibáñez's pinch-hit single, cutting the deficit to 6-2, but Alvarado sent down the next three batters to end the game.
"It's hard to get into a rhythm, and it's hard to feel what the pitcher is doing to you because everybody is different," Vierling said. "Bullpen days can be kind of frustrating in that way. If you feel good against one guy, well, you're going to get a new guy the next time you're in there. It can be difficult."
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Keider Montero's workload
Right-hander Keider Montero — whom the Tigers called up from Triple-A Toledo for the second time this season — allowed five runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts across 4⅓ innings, throwing 94 pitches.
He entered in the fourth inning with the game tied, 1-1.
"I was attacking the hitters all the time," Montero said in Spanish, through interpreter Carlos Guillén. "I did whatever I could to get them out."
Montero gave up two runs in the fourth, two runs in the fifth and one run in the eighth. He walked Bryson Stott, the first batter he faced, before Brandon Marsh smoked a middle-middle fastball for a two-run home run to left-center field, making it 3-1.
In the fifth, the Phillies collected three consecutive two-out hits from Nick Castellanos (single), Stott (double) and Marsh (two-run single) for a 5-1 advantage. In that matchup, Marsh hit Montero's up-and-away fastball on a full count into center.
"I like what I did," Montero said, "but unfortunately, we didn't come out with a win. It's part of the process. I feel like I'm getting better, and that's part of the process. Learning today was a good experience."
The Phillies extended their lead to 6-1 in the eighth inning, but not before the Tigers replaced Montero with left-handed reliever Joey Wentz. A leadoff walk from Castellanos and a one-out single from Marsh, both against Montero, set the table for David Dahl's sacrifice fly against Wentz.
The sixth run was charged to Montero's tab.
Montero generated 19 whiffs on 50 swings — a 38% whiff rate — with seven fastballs, nine sliders and three changeups. He only produced eight called strikes.
His fastball averaged 95.6 mph.
"The walk and the homer, it would've been easy for him to unravel," Hinch said. "I think we all saw what's exciting about him, but also what some of the challenges are. The long at-bats are the challenge, but the stuff is real."
Tyler Holton, the opener
Left-handed reliever Tyler Holton and right-handed reliever Will Vest covered the first three innings for strategic reasons, with Holton working as the opener.
The Tigers wanted Holton to face left-handed hitters Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
"We definitely danced with danger in the first inning," Hinch said.
The plan didn't get off to a good start, as Holton loaded the bases with singles from Schwarber and Trea Turner and a walk from Harper, but he retired the next three batters to end the first inning. The Phillies took a 1-0 lead when Schwarber scored on Castellanos' groundout.
The plan worked out better in the second inning when Holton struck out Schwarber for the second out. He was replaced by Vest, who struck out Turner to strand runners on first and second base.
Vest then threw a perfect third inning.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Tigers help Phillies beat Detroit, 6-2, in series finale
