The Detroit Tigers spent most of Tuesday night trying to recover from a difficult first inning. Their offense never gave them enough of a chance to complete the job.
Tampa Bay scored twice before Detroit came to bat and received six strong innings from Drew Rasmussen in a 4-1 Rays victory at Comerica Park. The Tigers managed only five hits, struck out 12 times and produced their only run on Brett Callahan’s fourth-inning sacrifice fly.
Framber Valdez allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings. He did not record a strikeout, but he settled in after Tampa Bay opened the game with three hits, a walk and two runs.
Yandy Díaz started the night with a single to center. Ryan Vilade followed with a sharp single to left that got past Callahan, allowing Díaz to reach third and Vilade to advance to second on the error.
Junior Caminero brought home the first run with a groundout to Javier Báez. Jonny DeLuca then reached on an infield single before Jonathan Aranda’s forceout scored Vilade and gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 advantage.
Detroit went down in order in each of the first two innings. Báez recorded the Tigers’ first hit with a two-out single in the third, but Colt Keith struck out to end the inning.
The Tigers had an opportunity to prevent the deficit from growing in the top of the fourth, but Tampa Bay manufactured another run. Jorge Mateo doubled, moved to third on Nick Fortes’ sacrifice bunt and scored when the speedy Chandler Simpson beat out a bunt single.
Detroit finally created some traffic against Rasmussen in the bottom of the inning.
Kevin McGonigle drove a sharp double to center for his 24th double of the season. Dillon Dingler followed with a single to right, placing runners at the corners with one out. Callahan’s sacrifice fly brought McGonigle home, cutting Tampa Bay’s lead to 3-1.
Zach McKinstry lined out to center, however, and the Tigers did not record another hit until the eighth.
McGonigle was one of Detroit’s few bright spots. In addition to his double and run scored, he was busy defensively at third base. He made a diving stop and strong throw to retire Díaz in the second and helped turn a double play in the fifth. The rookie handled several difficult chances as Tampa Bay repeatedly put the ball on the ground against Valdez.
Detroit’s defense also prevented a run in the third. DeLuca doubled into the right-field corner with Caminero attempting to score from first. McKinstry started a relay to Hao-Yu Lee, who delivered the throw to Dingler at the plate. Caminero was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a Tigers challenge.
Those defensive plays kept Detroit within reach, but the lineup could not apply any pressure to Rasmussen.
The Rays right-hander allowed one run on three hits over six innings. He did not issue a walk and struck out five. Detroit’s young hitters had difficulty squaring him up, with Max Clark, Lee and Keith combining to go hitless with five strikeouts.
Aranda restored Tampa Bay’s three-run advantage by leading off the sixth with a solo home run to right-center. It was his 16th homer of the season and the final run allowed by Valdez.
Tanner Rainey and Tyler Holton combined to pitch three scoreless innings out of the Detroit bullpen. Rainey recorded four strikeouts over two innings, while Holton worked around Simpson’s infield single in the ninth.
Once again, the pitching staff did enough after the early damage to give Detroit an opportunity. The offense never took advantage.
Spencer Torkelson opened the eighth with a double, providing the Tigers with their best chance to make the game interesting. Max Clark and Báez responded with consecutive strikeouts. Keith walked, but Lee struck out on a foul tip to strand both runners.
Detroit brought the potential tying run to the plate in the ninth. Dingler was hit by a pitch and Ben Malgeri lined a single into left, putting runners at the corners with one out.
Bryan Baker closed the door by striking out McKinstry and catching Torkelson looking to end the game.
The final two innings provided a frustrating summary of the night. Detroit placed runners in scoring position and brought the middle of its order to the plate, but the Tigers could not produce the hit necessary to change the game.
There were individual positives. McGonigle doubled and played well defensively. Dingler reached base twice and threw out Mateo attempting to steal second. Malgeri delivered a hit off the bench, while the bullpen did not allow Tampa Bay to extend its lead.
None of it was enough to overcome another quiet night at the plate.
For a Tigers club attempting to remain competitive while evaluating several young players, nights like this are going to happen. That does not make the offensive execution any less disappointing. Detroit struck out 12 times, worked only one walk and scored one run despite bringing the tying run to the plate in each of the final two innings.
The Tigers were not blown out. They were simply unable to create enough offense to give themselves a realistic chance to win.
