Tigers manager AJ Hinch on 3-2 loss to Mariners in Game 2 of the ALDS
Chris McCosky asks AJ Hinch about Game 2 loss against Mariners in American League Division Series.
Seattle – Tarik Skubal abided no negativity Sunday about these first two games at T-Mobile Park.
“We did our job,” he said. “We have home-field advantage now.”
He’s not wrong. After the Seattle Mariners evened the American League division series with a tightly-contested 3-2 victory in Game 2, it’s a best-of-three now with the next two being played at Comerica Park Tuesday and Wednesday.
BOX SCORE: Mariners 3, Tigers 2
“Obviously, you want to win every single game, but that’s not reality,” said Skubal, who struck out nine in seven strong innings. “It’s impossible. But we get to go home and play in front of the best fans in baseball. It’s not that we’re satisfied going home 1-1. But I like to think optimistically, not glass half empty in that sense.
“We did accomplish something coming here and taking one from them.”
Still, it feels like an opportunity was missed having a win in hand with Skubal on the mound and pitching brilliantly and yet still going home even.
“We couldn’t quite create enough pressure,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “Obviously it’s a frustrating loss because every loss at this time of year is frustrating. But I’m proud of our group and excited to get home.”
The Tigers last played at Comerica Park on Sept. 21. They last won a game at Comerica Park on Sept. 6.
“We’d have loved to get this one,” said reliever Kyle Finnegan, who gave up game-flipping doubles to Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez in the eighth. “But we’re playing good ball. These were two really good games and we’re headed back 1-1. This one stings a little bit.
“If I’d have gone out and kept it tied, we might’ve had some magic at the end of the game. But it’s 1-1. Could be worse.”
The Tigers’ bats never got going. Three hits. And until the eighth, they only had three at-bats with runners in scoring position. But, down 2-0, they were gifted a pair of runs in top of the eighth.
Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor booted a ground ball by Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson cashed that in with a two-run, opposite-field double.
“Just not able to do my job tonight,” Finnegan said. “Especially after we made a huge play to tie the game and get some momentum for ourselves. I need to go in there and put up a zero. “
Finnigan, pitching for the fourth time in five days, struck out Randy Arozarena but Raleigh, who was held in check by Skubal, ambushed a first-pitch splitter for a double.
Rodriguez was next. He hadn’t gotten a ball out of the infield against Skubal. On deck was Jorge Polanco, who had provided the Mariners lone runs with solo homers. Hinch was asked if he considered walking Rodriguez.
“It’s always easy to pass the baton to the next guy,” Hinch said. “The guy on deck was doing a few things in his own right. We trust Finnegan to make pitches. Their guy beat our guy and did a nice job. Even flipping Polanco around (to hit left-handed) has its own challenges with Finnegan.”
Polanco in the regular season hit 21 homers and had an .802 OPS hitting lefty.
Rodriguez got another splitter, just a bit up, and knocked it into left field for double.
“I felt fine physically,” Finnegan said. “Faced a couple of really good hitters. Made a good pitch but not a great pitch. You’ve got to make great pitches to great hitters.”
What’s the old baseball adage? Solo home runs don’t beat you?
It looked like they might before the Tigers broke through in the eighth. Polanco, an underrated Tiger-killer over the years — .807 OPS, 14 homers, 62 RBIs in 114 games — was the only Mariner who seemed to have Skubal’s number.
“Two swings,” Skubal said. “He seemed to see the ball pretty well against me tonight. He took some change-ups down just below the zone that generally, when I throw it right there and execute, it’s a good result for me.”
Polanco said he was just trying to be aggressive.
“I was feeling pretty good,” he said. “I didn’t know what was coming. Like I said, I just have a good approach, stay to the middle. … The game plan was to the middle, straight to the middle of the field, try and get a good pitch to hit.
“We all know he has a pretty good fastball. We’re just trying to stay to the middle of the field.”
The first homer came on a hanging, 2-0 slider. On the second one, Polanco laid off a pair of 1-2 change-ups and then shellacked a 99-mph sinker that stayed up and in the middle of the plate, driving it inside the foul pole in left.
“It’s a good at-bat,” Skubal said. “Two good swings at the baseball. I thought my stuff was good, my execution was good. But it’s the game of baseball.”
Nobody has hit multiple homers off Skubal in the same game since Paul Goldschmidt did it 2021.
“I don’t want to give up any runs,” Skubal said. “But solo homer runs, like, it’s fine. You are going to give up runs in this game. I don’t expect myself to be perfect every time. I expect to go out and compete and give our team a chance to win.
“It’s frustrating that I gave up runs but our team battled and that’s what I’m proud of. There is no quit in this group. We battled our ass off all game.”
So after 14 days on the road, the Tigers finally get to come home.
“First thing I’m going to do is go to the field and make sure I stay on my routine and prepare for my next start,” Skubal said. “Then I’m going to go to sleep. Sleep and laundry. I’m down to my last clean pair of underwear. And then wake up excited to go to the yard. Home playoff game. Can’t wait to hear the environment we can provide and use it to our advantage.”
@cmccosky
AL Division Series
SERIES TIED 1-1
Game 1: Tigers 3, (at) Mariners 2
Game 2: (at) Mariners 3, Tigers 2
Game 3: at Tigers, Tuesday, 4:08 (FS1)
x-Game 4: at Tigers, Wednesday, 3:08 or 7:08 (Fox or FS1)
x-Game 5: at Mariners, Friday, 4:40 or 8:08 (Fox or FS1)
x-If necessary
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