CLEVELAND — Nick Maton, serving as the cleanup hitter, received 13 non-fastballs in three plate appearances against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber. He didn’t get a single fastball, and all 13 pitches were at the bottom of the strike zone or below the strike zone.
Maton struck out three times in Tuesday’s 2-0 loss.
The Detroit Tigers didn’t start Maton, a left-handed hitter, for Wednesday’s series finale at Progressive Field, even though the Guardians put right-hander Peyton Battenfield on the mound for the fifth start of his MLB career.
“Some of it’s approach, some of it’s mechanics,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before Wednesday’s game. “I know he’s trying to prove to everybody that he can handle all pitches, and sometimes by doing that, you end up swinging at too many of them. That’s what last night looked like.”
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Maton, whom the Tigers acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in an offseason trade, has always thrived against righties and fastballs, but has always struggled when facing lefties and non-fastballs. Non-fastballs from righties, as Bieber displayed, give him trouble, too.
His approach needs to change.
“When you look at his at-bats, teams are clearly declaring two things,” Hinch said. “One, they’re unafraid to throw him secondary pitches early and often. The second part, he’s continued to be really aggressive. Sometimes, I think the cat and mouse game has to be adjusted. You don’t have to swing at every secondary pitch. You don’t have to be ultra-aggressive unless they’re going to land it in the strike zone, and they demonstrate that.”
Maton is hitting .163 with four home runs, 13 walks and 35 strikeouts in 34 games this season. Opponents have thrown him 46.9% fastballs (which he does the most damage on at the top of the strike zone), 35.9% breaking balls and 17.1% offspeed pitches.
Maton has a .224 batting average with four homers against fastballs, .118 batting average against breaking balls (i.e. sliders, curveballs) and no hits against offspeed pitches (i.e. changeups).
He struggled in the same way with the Phillies last season.
“When you’re at this level, and teams continually do the same thing over and over to you, I think it’s human nature to get overaggressive to combat that and swing too much,” Hinch said. “It’s just little adjustments that are necessary. … He can find his way, but when it piles up like this over and over, the results can be pretty frustrating.”
Hinch didn’t put Maton in the lineup for Wednesday’s game, not as a benching, but as a “reset” in hopes of a better process, which should lead to better results, when the Tigers return to Comerica Park for a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners.
Maton is expected to return to the starting lineup Saturday.
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Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson raking in May
The Tigers have a 6-2 record in May.
It’s no coincidence center fielder Riley Greene and first baseman Spencer Torkelson are raking this month. They’re not expected to carry the offense, but they’re important contributors with All-Star potential.
“They’re handling a lot of responsibility,” Hinch said. “They’re continuing to evolve and grow. They’re not naive to the fact that they are a really big part of our present and our future, and it’s a lot to bestow on them.”
Greene, the No. 5 overall pick in 2019, is hitting .400 with three doubles, one home run, seven RBIs, three walks and eight strikeouts in eight games, posting a 1.055 on-base-plus slugging percentage. The 22-year-old is hitting .270 with three homers in 35 games this season.
Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, is hitting .344 with four doubles, one homer, five RBIs, one walk and six strikeouts in eight games, posting a .945 OPS. The 23-year-old is hitting .240 with three homers in 34 games this season.
“We’ve been patient with both guys,” Hinch said. “Our belief is never going to waver. Our trust in their work is not going to waver. The results are starting to show up a little bit. But they shouldn’t have to carry the whole burden of the offense for us. They’re going to be a big part of it. But the calmness around each other and around the responsibility is very noteworthy.”
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Where is Spencer Turnbull?
Right-hander Spencer Turnbull hasn’t reported to Triple-A Toledo.
Hinch isn’t sure when he will join the Mud Hens.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Hinch said. “We’ll figure that out I think over the next couple of days. We’ll have a pretty good plan in place for him, but I’m not sure when he’s going to report.”
Turnbull, 30, posted a 7.26 ERA with 15 walks and 24 strikeouts over 31 innings in seven starts. The Tigers optioned him to Toledo on Sunday after his start against the St. Louis Cardinals. (Right-hander Alex Faedo took his place in the starting rotation.)
Turnbull missed the entire 2022 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.