Detroit – It certainly wasn’t how they would have scripted it, going into the All-Star break on a season-high, four-game losing streak and being swept at home by the Seattle Mariners.
But the 8-4 loss Sunday before a crowd of 34,671 didn’t alter the reality of where the Tigers stand before the break. Their 59-38 record is the best in baseball and their 11.5-game lead over the Twins in the Central Division is the largest divisional lead in their history since the advent of the Midsummer Classic in 1933.
“I think if you told everybody here and everybody in Detroit that this was the record we were going to have at the break, where we’re at in the division, where we’re at overall, the way these guys have played, that we have six All Stars — I think a lot of people would be pretty happy with that,” said Jack Flaherty, who gave the Tigers a chance to win this game, striking out seven in five gritty innings.
“Maybe we stumbled into the break, or however you want to say it, but you wipe the slate clean and you move forward.”
This series, though, might leave a mark.
“It’s just not our norm,” manager AJ Hinch said, reflecting on a third straight ninth-inning collapse by the bullpen. “We had a big rally to come back and take the lead, then to give it back in the fashion that we did — a couple of ill-timed walks after we took the lead led to an ugly finish to an ugly weekend.”
The Mariners scored seven runs in the ninth on Friday, four in the ninth Saturday and four more Sunday. Tommy Kahnle, who had been tagged for the four on Saturday, gave up game-flipping solo home runs to pinch-hitter Jorge Polanco and No. 9 hitter Cole Young Sunday, again without recording an out.
Seattle’s combined 15 ninth-inning runs over the last three games are the most by any team in the Major Leagues in the last 50 years.
“Give them credit, those guys put some really good swings and had some really good at-bats,” Hinch said. “The consistency of their at-bats and taking advantage of mistakes is what I look at. And that hasn’t been our norm. It feels bad because of the way it happened, getting swept at home. That’s not happened a lot.
“We still leave for the break proud of what what we’ve done, but this last week we’ve just got it handed to us.”
The Mariners hit five solo home runs Sunday, none by Cal Raleigh, whose 38 home runs before the break falls one short of Barry Bonds’ Major League record. He was issued an intentional walk in the ninth.
The Mariners hit 11 home runs in the three-game series.
“They were swinging it,” Spencer Torkelson said. “Kudos to them. They were on everything, it seemed like, even when it felt like we made good pitches. They were all over everything.”
The Tigers took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh, showing a burst of the verve and clutch hitting that had been their trademark for three-plus months.
All-Star Javier Baez led off with a single and advanced to second on a groundout by Jahmai Jones. He was running on the pitch and avoided a double-play.
Baez then stole third uncontested off lefty Gabe Speier and scored on a sacrifice fly by All-Star Gleyber Torres, who had two hits and extended his on-base streak to an American League-best 25.
Riley Greene, All-Star, followed, launching his 24th home run of the season and just his second off a lefty.
And the Tigers entrusted that lead to Will Vest, the one-time Mariner who had blown just three saves all season and none since May 17. It felt right for a minute.
But Vest, facing the heart of the Mariners’ batting order, uncharacteristically walked Julio Rodriguez and Raleigh to start the inning. A double by Randy Arozarena tied the game.
Vest managed to keep the game tied, though, fighting his way out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation. It was the second great escape of the game for the Tigers. They ended up needing one more.
Flaherty worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning. And he did so by channeling his pitching coach in St. Louis, Mike Maddux.
“He talked about saving runs when you’re in those situations and try to limit damage as much as you can,” Flaherty said. “Especially when you put yourself there, when you pretty much do it to yourself.”
Flaherty, who gave up solo homers to Rodriguez and Arozarena later in the game, created the mess with a pair of walks and a single. But he responded by striking out Arozarena with a dastardly knuckle-curve and then shattered the bat of Raley with a 94-mph heater.
While the barrel of the bat flew toward second base, the ball flew into Spencer Torkelson’s glove at first base and he fired to second to double-up Rodriguez to end the inning with no damage.
“Just focus on one pitch at a time,” he said. “Then once you get an out, you’re one pitch away from getting out of it. That’s something I took from way back with Mike Maddux. Keep making pitches. There’s always a way out as long as you can focus on one pitch at a time.”
The focus now shifts to relaxing and regrouping.
“It’s been a tough four-game stretch, but there’s so many good things we can look back on in the first half,” Torkelson said. “This team is good and it’s been good. Four games is nothing in a 162-game season. It’s about how we get to the break, relax, hangout and chill and then come back with a fresh start. Like we are 0-0 and stay hungry.”
Afterward, players were scattering to various locations. Some were heading up north, some were heading to their homes and six players were headed to Atlanta to compete in the All-Star Game Tuesday. The break, as Hinch pointed out, will be welcomed by all.
“The mood of this clubhouse, the vibe of this team is very good and it should be,” he said. “I think you can be disappointed to lose a series and proud of your season at the same time. Our guys have been good about keeping perspective on the right things.”
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