Baltimore – Manager AJ Hinch foreshadowed the roster move that was announced Thursday in his post-game comments after the 10-1 loss to the Orioles Wednesday night.
“He’s had a hard time putting away hitters,” he said of reliever Beau Brieske. “It’s been tough for him. We gave him a little blow where we didn’t use him and the execution continues to be missing.”
So it wasn’t surprising when the Tigers optioned Brieske back to Triple-A Toledo and selected the contract of lefty Matt Gage.
“He’s had a hard time of it over the course of a while now,” Hinch said. “We’ve got to get him executing better. Beau’s a guy I need to turn to quite a bit in the bullpen. He needs a reset to get himself back in the strike zone and utilizing all of his pitches which will lead to better results.”
Wednesday was the final straw for Brieske, whose ERA ballooned over 6.00 after he was tagged for five runs in the eighth inning.
“Last night was the end of the conversation when it comes to now being the time to do it,” Hinch said. “This has been building over the course of a few outings for him.”
Command and confidence have been the two issues with Brieske and losing the first led to the second and resulted in him nibbling more than attacking the strike zone.
“Command is key for anybody,” Hinch said. “But it’s really important especially for Beau given how much he can throw the backdoor four-seamers and two-seamers to a righty and the changeup plays off that. He doesn’t use his slider a ton but when he does, it’s all predicated on the thought of the fastball’s location.
“He has to be able to throw the ball where he wants to. Add velo to that, when he’s throwing upper-90s, he’s really a tough guy for the other side.”
Brieske was that guy down the stretch and into the playoffs last season. An ankle injury early in spring set him back and lingered through April and he hasn’t really got back to form, evidenced by the bulky 1.636 WHIP, the low 15.5% strikeout rate and high 11.7% walk rate.
“This could be a short stint or it could be a long stint,” Hinch said. “But the most important part for Beau is to get back to being the aggressor on the mound. … Get back to where he can get strike one with three or four pitches and then go into attack mode.”
Gage’s reward
What a journey it’s been for the 34-year-old Gage. In 14 professional seasons, he’s pitched at every spectrum, from Indy ball and Mexico, with eight different organizations to two brief stints in the big leagues – with Toronto in 2022 and Houston in 2023.
And now, on the dint of his perseverance and improved productivity, he’s earned another opportunity.
“Happy, joy, kind of everything,” Gage said before the game. “Emotional. It’s just fun to play this game. I was having fun in Toledo. I have a young son and he came to every game. Just seeing him in the stands made it the best.”
Gage went through a bleak 18-month stretch where he completely lost his pitching mechanics after the 2023 season. Getting with the Tigers’ pitching department this spring, he found a few keys to lock it back in and he’s taken off.
In 16 games with Toledo, the 6-3, 270-pound lefty posted a 1.67 ERA, 0.959 WHIP with 28 strikeouts and four walks.
“He’s been really good and he’s gotten a taste of the big leagues before and being left-handed helps us right now,” Hinch said. “But he performed his way here. He forced his way into the being in consideration by how he pitches and the stuff he’s been showcasing.”
His fastball has been steady in the mid-90s and he’s mixing two different sliders (a gyro and a sweeper) with a split-change.
“When you play a kid’s game, you just go out there having fun,” Gage said. “Just take it day by day and every second. Because you never know when the dream is going to be over. That’s what I did this year in Toledo. Just made the best of the situation.”
He thought the dream might be over when he went into the coaches office in Toledo Wednesday night. Manager Gabe Alvarez and pitching coaches Doug Bochtler and Virgil Vasquez sat in there with sad faces.
“I could kind of see Boch and Gabe were a bit teary-eyed,” Gage said. “I was looking at them and Gabe said, ‘I don’t really know how to tell you this.’ I was like, Oh, is that it? And Gabe said, ‘Yeah. Congratulations, you’re going to the Show. Big hug. It was great.”
Around the horn
Reese Olson (ring finger inflammation) tested the finger in his bullpen session Wednesday, throwing a few changeups, though apparently not at game speed. “He’s still flirting with throwing more,” Hinch said. “I know he threw a couple but he’s still not back to full arsenal yet.”
… Alex Cobb (hip) threw two labor-intensive innings in his rehab start at Toledo Wednesday. A allowed a hit, a run and three walks, needing 42 pitches to get through two innings. “I know it was a grind for him,” Hinch said. “Just the sheer volume of pitches in a short period was not ideal for him. Probably no better and no worse right now in where he’s at.”
… Gleyber Torres took an 18-game on-base streak into the game Thursday. He has a .423 on-base percentage during the streak.
Reds at Tigers
Series: Three games at Comerica Park
First pitch: Friday – 7:10 p.m.; Saturday – 1:10 p.m.; Sunday – 12:10 p.m.
TV/radio: Friday-Saturday — FanDuel Sports/97.1; Sunday – Roku/97.1
Probables: Friday – RHP Nick Martinez (4-6, 3.70) vs. TBD; Saturday – RHP Brady Singer (6-4, 4.59) vs. RHP Jack Flaherty (5-6, 3.41); Sunday – LHP Wade Miley (1-0, 9.00) vs. RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-0, 4.32).
SCOUTING REPORT
Martinez, Reds: He’s coming off a comfortable win against Arizona, where he allowed only a solo homer in six innings. He is a savvy, low-strikeout (17%), low-walk (5.3%), low hard-contact (34.8%) veteran. Left-handed hitters will see a lot of his 92-92 mph four-seam with changeups and cutters. Righties will see a lot of sinkers and sliders, with the occasional four-seam up. He will also mix in a curveball.
Tigers: This is right-hander Keider Montero’s spot in the rotation. Manager AJ Hinch is holding open the option to use an opener ahead of Montero.
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