CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-3, on Friday at BayCare Ballpark.
The Tigers improved to 4-3 in Grapefruit League play.
What happened
The outfield duo of Riley Greene (playing left) and Matt Vierling (playing center) carried the offense with home runs in the third and fifth innings, respectively, while catcher Jake Rogers chipped in his second homer of spring training in the fourth inning.
The Tigers, by the way, lead MLB with 17 home runs in seven games this spring, an average of 2.43 per game. Last season, the Tigers averaged 0.68 home runs per game en route to 110 on the season, last (by far) in the majors.
“It was cool to be back and see everybody,” said Vierling, acquired from the Phillies in a trade this offseason. “Being able to catch up with everybody again was really cool. The game was a lot of fun. I was going to have fun regardless of which way it went, so it was a good time.”
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An RBI single from Vierling chased Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker with one out in the third inning. Facing righty reliever Mike Adams, Greene blasted a fifth-pitch fastball for a 417-foot two-run homer to left-center.
It was Greene’s first homer of the spring and put the Tigers ahead 3-0.
Third baseman Colt Keith, arguably the Tigers’ best prospect, homered for the first time in spring training. He extended the lead to 6-3 by tagging a slider from right-hander Erich Uelmen in the eighth inning.
“Meaning for him because he’s had a tough week,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, referencing a personal situation in Keith’s family. “He got a good pitch to hit and hit it out of the ballpark. He doesn’t say much. He doesn’t get overly emotional. But like we said early, he’s really comfortable in the box.”
Starting off
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez called his own pitches for the first time using PitchCom on his belt, rather than allowing catcher Donny Sands to call pitches. He worked efficiently, throwing 24 of 33 pitches for strikes, and completed three scoreless innings.
He allowed just one hit without issuing a walk.
“I feel like I know myself more than anybody,” Rodriguez said. “If some pitches aren’t working the right way and the catcher is calling it, and I know I’m not the only one. Every pitcher feels like that. If the catcher calls the pitch, even if it’s your best one, and it’s not working the right way, you’re not going to throw it with the same confidence. That’s what I feel is going to make better because I’m going to call the pitch that I really feel comfortable with.”
Hinch wanted to wait until Saturday before discussing Rodriguez’s PitchCom usage to call his own pitches.
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Rodriguez, who struck out three batters in his second start of spring training, threw 12 four-seam fastball and one cutter in a scoreless first inning. He then mixed his secondary pitches in the second and third innings.
He generated six whiffs in all from his four-seamer (three), cutter (two) and changeup (one).
His fastball averaged 93.1 mph.
“He was good because he felt really good,” Hinch said. “It was probably the best fastball he’s had in the spring, counting the two springs I’ve been with him. Getting some swings and misses up (in the strike zone) is key. I thought his cutter was a little harder than it has been. So, it was good.”
Rodriguez will soon leave the Tigers for West Palm Beach to spend a couple days with Team Venezuela. He is scheduled to return to the Tigers and start March 8 against the Washington Nationals. That will likely be his final start for the organization before he appears in the World Baseball Classic.
At the plate
Another run came in the fourth inning, as Rogers clobbered left-hander Ben Bowden’s changeup down the middle of the strike zone for a 422-foot home run to straightaway center field.
Rogers, who refused to miss a mistake, is proving himself as the best backup catcher behind starter Eric Haase. The competition includes Sands and Andrew Knapp, among others.
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In the fifth inning, Vierling matched up against right-hander Louis Head. He swung at an 0-2 curveball in the strike zone and drove the pitch over the wall in left-center field for a solo shot.
His second home run of the spring upped the lead to 5-0.
The second, third and fourth hitters in the Tigers’ batting order (Vierling, Greene and Javier Báez) finished 7-for-9 with four RBIs. Nick Maton, the leadoff hitter, went 0-for-2 with one walk and one strikeout, while Spencer Torkelson, in the five-hole, was 0-for-3 with one strikeout.
“Spring training is a really interesting time,” Vierling said. “Just trying to keep things simple. That’s what I’ve learned the past couple times being in big-league spring training. Just trying to keep it simple, get in a rhythm with pitching and not putting a ton of stock in the beginning. The goal is to be ready for Opening Day. None of this really matters until Opening Day.”
On the mound
Left-hander Tyler Alexander threw three sliders in the fifth and sixth innings.
Two of them traveled a combined 852 feet. Edmundo Sosa obliterated a fifth-inning slider for a 441-foot solo home run, putting the Phillies on the scoreboard. J.T. Realmuto crushed a sixth-inning slider, this time 411 feet, for a two-run home run, cutting the Phillies’ deficit to two.
Alexander allowed three runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts in two innings. He threw 28 of 39 pitches for strikes.
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Before Alexander took the mound, righty Alex Lange struck out three batters in the fourth inning and tossed 14 of 18 pitches for strikes. His 10 curveballs registered six swings and misses.
Right-hander Edwin Uceta pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, while righty Elvis Alvarado — a prospect who hasn’t pitched above Double-A Erie — slammed the door in the ninth inning.
Three stars
1. Vierling; 2. Greene; 3. Rodriguez.
Next up
Friday (6:35 p.m.) vs. New York Yankees in Tampa.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.