Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever Alex Lange possesses all the potential to be an elite-level closer on the biggest stage. Staying in the coveted ninth-inning role begins with throwing strikes and avoiding an abundance of walks.
Recently, Lange has done just that.
“Doing your job feels good,” Lange said Aug. 20, before the series finale against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. “Whatever it takes to do. It’s just throwing strikes, trying to fill up the zone and doing whatever it takes to get three outs. That’s been the mentality all year. Same (expletive).”
The 27-year-old has turned in five consecutive scoreless outings, spanning 4⅔ innings, with two walks and four strikeouts. The first three outings occurred in the seventh inning, and the last two outings occurred in the ninth inning.
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He logged his 18th and 19th saves in back-to-back appearances Aug. 20 against the Guardians at Progressive Field and Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs at Comerica Park. In a 20-day span, Lange transitioned from unofficial closer to mid-leverage reliever to high-leverage reliever.
“My name is called,” Lange said, “and I go out there and get outs. That’s what I do.”
The Tigers eased him back into the big moments.
“I think the way he handled the situation,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said after Tuesday’s 8-6 win over the Cubs, “the way he went to work with the pitching department and waited his turn again tells me a lot about him and what he’s willing to do to be good again.”
Lange, who has a 3.62 ERA in 49⅔ innings this season, struggled throughout a stretch of 22 appearances, from June 4 to Aug. 7, in which he posted a 7.40 ERA with 26 walks (24.3% walk rate) and 25 strikeouts (23.4% strikeout rate) across 20⅔ innings.
Opponents stopped swinging at his curveballs below the strike zone, forcing him to pitch inside the strike zone. He walked three batters in three consecutive outings, from Aug. 2-7, before kickstarting his revival with five scoreless outings.
When facing Lange, opposing hitters own a .463 on-base percentage after 1-0 counts and a .174 on-base percentage after 0-1 counts. After 2-0 counts, it’s a .750 on-base percentage, and after 0-2 counts, it’s a .116 on-base-percentage.
“Count leverage is everything,” Lange said.
The race to two strikes, which starts with one strike, is crucial for Lange’s success to continue.
“Just trying to execute,” Lange said, referencing his Aug. 19 outing. “You fall behind 1-0 (in the count), so go attack with the heater and go to my best stuff when it matters. We executed the way we needed to, and we had to do what we had to do.”
In a non-save situation, Lange took the mound in the seventh inning on Aug. 19 against the Guardians. He was called on to protect a one-run lead despite inheriting one out with two runners on the bases. He replaced right-handed reliever Will Vest for a matchup José Ramírez, a five-time All-Star and four-time top-five finisher in American League MVP voting.
It was the biggest moment in the game.
Lange’s first-pitch curveball missed the strike zone, and Ramírez refused to chase, for a 1-0 count.
But Lange didn’t let history repeat itself. This time, he turned to his other pitches to get ahead in the count, firing a four-seam fastball for a called strike and a changeup for a foul. Just like that, he was ahead 1-2 in the count. The next two pitchers — a changeup and a fastball — made it a 2-2 count.
That’s when Lange went back to his nasty curveball, spotting it down-and-away and just outside of the strike zone. Ramírez chased the curveball and lined out to left field for the second out, which led to Lange escaping the seventh inning and keeping the one-run lead intact.
“We don’t really like anybody against José Ramírez,” Hinch said after the 4-3 win over the Guardians. “If you’re going to go after him, the best stuff you have is the best stuff you can give him. The breaking ball and the changeup, I thought he did a really good job of disguising his breaking ball and not overexposing it. It’s not generally how he pitches. He’s usually relying on his best pitch.
“But he went changeup, changeup, high fastball. He waited until he got to two strikes and dropped in the breaking ball. He’s certainly regained every bit of the opportunities in the big moments. We can talk closer all you want. I think that was a critical out that counts just as much as the 27th out.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.