Detroit Tigers stung by late 3-run homer in 5-2 loss to Los Angeles Angels
Detroit Tigers right-hander Kenta Maeda exited with an injury in the sixth inning.
A line-drive comebacker from Taylor Ward, clocked at a 94.4 mph exit velocity, deflected off his right hip, and the ball ricocheted toward first base. Maeda hustled to try to cover first on the play, but he didn't get there in time, resulting in an infield single. It was the final pitch of Maeda's 14th start.
The Tigers lost Maeda to a hip injury, but they also lost 5-2 to the Los Angeles Angels on Friday in the second of four games in the series at Angel Stadium. The Angels took the lead with Logan O'Hoppe's three-run home run off right-handed reliever Shelby Miller in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Tigers (37-45) have lost 15 of their past 21 games to fall eight games below .500.
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Once again, the Tigers struggled on offense.
The Tigers finished with two hits and four walks off six different pitchers. The four walks, though, occurred in the third inning against right-hander Zach Plesac.
Plesac recorded the first two outs before Ryan Kreidler's single jumpstarted a two-run inning. That's because Plesac walked the next four batters in a row: Wenceel Pérez, Riley Greene, Matt Vierling and Mark Canha.
Vierling and Canha's walks came with the bases loaded, for a 2-2 tie.
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Other than that, the Tigers' offense was lifeless against the Angels. The only other hit came from Andy Ibáñez against right-handed reliever José Marte to open the fourth inning, but the next three batters were sent down.
After Ibáñez's single, the Angels — using a combination of five pitchers — retired 18 Tigers in a row to end the game. It was another brutal performance on offense, as the Tigers have mustered just 10 hits over their past three games.
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More about Maeda
Before the hip injury, Maeda had been cruising along in bounce-back fashion from a bad opening. The Angels scored two runs against him in the first inning.
It only took two batters for the Angels to score those runs, a result of Nolan Schanuel's leadoff single and Luis Rengifo's two-run home run. Rengifo smashed a middle-middle fastball for a 398-foot homer to center field.
Maeda, known as a fly-ball pitcher, has surrendered 12 homers in 59⅓ innings this season, putting him at a carer-high 1.8 homers per nine innings.
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After that, Maeda settled in.
He retired the next three batters to end the first as part of six batters sent down in a row before Luis Guillorme's leadoff single in the third inning, but a strikeout/caught stealing shut down Guillorme on the bases.
Maeda worked around a single and a walk in the fourth inning, striking out Mickey Moniak with a splitter below the zone to strand two runners in scoring position. He also pitched a clean fifth inning and recorded the first out in the sixth inning before taking a line drive from Ward off his hip.
In his 14th start, Maeda allowed two runs on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts across 5⅓ innings, throwing 87 pitches. He lowered his ERA to 5.76.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' offense sputters again in 5-2 loss to L.A. Angels
