Detroit – If what the Tigers experienced Friday night, especially in the first two innings, wasn’t rock bottom, nobody wants to see what lies beneath.
The Tigers endured their fourth straight loss, seventh in their last eight games, 16th in their last 23. And this one was in the no-compete category, beaten by the Atlanta Braves, a talented but underachieving team this season, 10-1, before an aggravated crowd of 33,554 at Comerica Park.
Their lead in the Central Division, fast slipping away, was at 3.5 games entering play with second-place Cleveland playing at Minnesota.
“It was ugly at the beginning, it was ugly at the end and there wasn’t much to talk about in the middle,” manager AJ Hinch said, aptly summing it up. “Makes for a long night.”
Veteran second baseman Gleyber Torres, who had two of the Tigers’ five hits, is one of the few players in the room who has been through this type of pressure-cooker.
“We know what’s going on right now,” he said. “Everybody knows and we’re trying to figure out a way to play a little better. Really, there is no panic at all. All the guys, we are together. We are on the same page. For sure the way we are playing is not the way we want to play, especially with eight games left and Cleveland really close.”
Torres is a believer in the ‘no pressure, no diamonds’ theory, or, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
“We have the tools and the talent to get through this,” he said. “We have to figure out a way to win one game and then we will rock and roll. I just think this is part of our journey. Nothing is really easy now, but we want this. We don’t want anything easy. The situation we have right now is good for us.
“I know that sounds crazy. But these kind of moments make you better.”
BOX SCORE: Braves 10, Tigers 1
First they have to shake off the beat down they took Friday night. The Tigers took a standing-eight count before they even had a chance to bat.
The first five Braves hitters reached against veteran Charlie Morton and when he walked Drake Baldwin with the bases loaded, the boo-birds started howling.
It only got uglier as Morton couldn’t get through the second inning with the Tigers in an early 6-0 hole.
He gave up a two-run single to Ozzie Albies in the first inning and an RBI double to Matt Olson and a two-run homer to Ronald Acuna, Jr., in the second.
Morton, 41, retired only four of the 12 batters he faced. In his last five starts, he’s been tagged for 22 runs in 17 innings.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Morton said. “Just getting to a place here in Detroit with a really good team, a team that traded for you and wanted you to be here. And I felt like I was in a really good spot. I felt like I had battled to get back to where I’d been. … And then tonight, at a really crucial time of the year. It’s really disappointing.”
It is conceivable this will be his final start with the Tigers. He wouldn’t be able to pitch for at least five days and might have one more start left before the end of the regular season.
The Tigers could use the roster spot for another reliever.
“That’s a tough question right after the game, but I understand why you would ask it,” Hinch said. “I don’t know. Obviously, we’ve got to figure it out.”
In the meantime, right-hander Chris Paddack provided a life-raft for the Tigers’ bullpen. He ate up five innings, the only damage a two-run homer by Ha-Seong Kim.
Right-hander Paul Sewald, activated off the injured list Thursday, made his Tigers’ debut, yielding a two-run homer to Baldwin and he was unable to finish the ninth inning. He was at 28 pitches after walking Albies with two outs.
Hinch used infielder Zach McKinstry to get the final out. More or less the final indignity on this night.
“Look, there is no elephant in the room here,” Hinch said. “It’s very obvious where we are in the season and what’s at stake and the struggles we’ve had. I don’t think it matters if it’s getting tough or whether or not we can flush it. The reality is, the next game comes and that one is equally to more important than the previous one.
“It’s the big leagues and it’s September and it’s a pennant race and everything is right out in front of you.”
A six-run hole was the last thing the Tigers’ sputtering offense needed. They managed one run in the previous 18 innings against the Guardians and couldn’t generate much push-back against Braves veteran right-hander Bryce Elder, who came in with a 5.56 ERA.
Spencer Torkelson’s 30th home run, a solo shot in the fourth, was the only marker.
“The entire group, we have to play better and do the right things,” Torres said. “We know what we can do. We believe in each other. And we know it’s not going to be easy, we knew that from the beginning. In these last games, we have to show what we can do.
“We’re still in first place. We don’t look back. We look forward and do our thing together as a team.”
@cmccosky
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