Detroit Tigers suffer 4-1 loss to Cleveland Guardians in doubleheader
Left-hander Joey Wentz joined the Detroit Tigers as the 27th player for Friday’s doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians. Wentz made his first scoreless start of the season, completing five innings on 83 pitches.
Despite Wentz’s impressive performance, Tigers relievers Andrew Vasquez and José Cisnero struggled in the eighth inning, allowing four runs and resulting in a 4-1 loss to the Guardians in Game 2. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch expressed concern over the team’s overall six walks, emphasizing that walks will eventually come back to haunt them.
However, Wentz showcased improvement in his ERA, which now stands at 6.62 through 19 games this season. He attributed his success to better pitch execution and simplifying his approach.
In the second and third innings, the Guardians picked up three of their five hits. Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter played a crucial role in saving two runs for Wentz in the second inning with a remarkable sliding catch.
Wentz utilized his cutter pitch more in this game and had a higher whiff rate, showcasing his improved skills. The Tigers managed to score their only run of the game when Guardians right fielder Oscar Gonzalez lost a fly ball in the lights.
Tigers relievers Beau Brieske and Andrew Vasquez held the Guardians scoreless until the eighth inning when José Cisnero struggled and allowed four runs. The Tigers’ offense struggled as well, going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and missing several opportunities to score.
On the other side, the Guardians’ starting pitcher, Xzavion Curry, performed admirably, allowing only one run on five hits in six innings.
The Tigers’ loss to the Guardians highlights the need for improved bullpen performance and capitalizing on scoring chances. Manager A.J. Hinch will undoubtedly be looking to address these issues and bounce back in the next game.