I think it’s usually a bad sign when you turn a game on only a few minutes later, and your starter has already thrown 25 pitches in the top of the first. We can be honest, things haven’t been looking ideal for the Tigers to start off the season, but there’s definitely a good start and a not-so-good start, and the Tigers are off to the latter.
Today’s Easter game at home was another not-awesome outing.
So let’s take a look at how things shook out, in case you were spending time with your family, or hunting for Easter eggs.
Matt Boyd was the Tigers’ starter for the day, giving a leadoff walk up to Rob Refsnyder before collecting two strikeouts in a row, then giving up a single to Verdugo, before collecting a final out of the inning, but it took an awful lot of pitches to get there. In the bottom of the inning the Tigers drew first blood, which felt nice for the brief time the team held the lead. With two outs to start the inning, Baez singled to get on first, but then Carpenter managed to beat the throw to first on what should have been a strikeout thanks to a wild pitch. A Torkelson single then brought Baez home, giving the Tigers a very, very lucky early lead.
The lead didn’t last. Hernandez got a one-out walk, then a Casas double brought him home.
The third and fourth were quiet innings, but as the Tigers headed into the fifth things got worse. Wong doubled to lead off the inning then Refsnyder (I’m sorry but when did Rob Refsnyder get this clutch?) singled to score Wong giving the Red Sox the lead. A fielder’s choice ended up being an error to Baez, which is kind of a bummer because he also had some impressive defensive plays this game as well. Boyd didn’t make it through the inning, giving way to Foley for the final out. Boyd’s line for the game was 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, on 75 pitches. It wasn’t Boyd’s best work and he needs to get his walks under control but it also wasn’t the worst pitching performance I’ve ever seen. The Tigers managed baserunners in the bottom of the inning but no runs scored.
The sixth went quietly, but in the seventh things took an ugly turn. Refsnyder walked yet again, then a Devers single got Refsnyder to third. Turner hit a sac fly that absolutely should have been an out at home, but Haase completely lost the catch, sending the ball rolling, and Refsnyder scored.
In the eighth the Tigers had a solid opportunity for a rally, but they just couldn’t make it work.
Onto the ninth and Shreve gave up a leadoff home run to Casas. Then with two outs he hit Devers with a pitch. Luck took a turn for the Tigers as Duvall tried to catch a ball off the bat of Torkelson and ended up losing it (and bending his wrist backwards in a very ugly fashion, taking him out of the game), but allowing Tork to get safely to first. A rare Miguel Cabrera stand-up double put two men in scoring position. Schoop then drew a walk to load it up. Alas, the Tigers would leave the bases loaded in a classic TTBDNS, losing the game.
Final: Red Sox 4, Tigers 1