This week, the Detroit Tigers played a four-game series against the Texas Rangers, the reigning World Series champions. Here is a recap of the series’ events along with the most recent AL Central division standings.
Game One: The first game of the series on Monday was a pitchers duel, just like a lot of Tigers games this season have beenen. Michael Lorenz, a former right-hander for the Tigers who was traded by Detroit to the Phillies during the trade deadline the previous season, shared the mound with Reese Olson. The starting pitchers both did a great job, and throughout the game, neither offense produced any hits. When the Rangers scored the game’s first and lone run in the fifth inning, there was the greatest action.
Riley Greene ended the inning with a double play that stemmed the bleeding by putting a runner out at the plate. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Lorenzen worked his way out of a bases-loaded situation that left Greene, Baez, and Urshela stranded. That marked the end of his outing.
With one out in the seventh inning, Reese Olson was relieved by the Tigers bullpen. Sadly, Olson’s outstanding performance was offset by a loss for his record because his offense was unable to generate any momentum.
The Tigers were shut down in the ninth, after exhibiting little offensive activity in the seventh, posing a danger in the eighth but failing to score. Game one was won by the Rangers, 1-0.
Game Two: In the second game, Casey Mize and Jon Gray squared off. Mize was starting for the first time at home in more than two years, having had Tommy John surgery. At the top of the opposing team’s batting order, both starters retired. Gray hit a single pitch out of the side. Mize finished a 1-2-3 inning and struck out two more in the second, extending his excellent start. The Tigers attacked but were unable to score after Kerry Carpenter tripled to start the bottom of the second inning. Carpenter was stranded at third.
Mize held the Rangers scoreless for three innings before stranding a runner in the third. The Tigers finally scored a run in the bottom of the third inning, taking the lead. With one out, Greene would score from first on a single by Zach McKinstry, with a little assistance from Ranger outfielder Evan Carter, who made a mistake on the play.
Mize held the Rangers scoreless for three innings before stranding a runner in the third. The Tigers finally scored a run in the bottom of the third inning, taking the lead. With one out, Greene would score from first on a single by Zach McKinstry, with a little assistance from Ranger outfielder Evan Carter, who made a mistake on the play.
In the fourth inning, Javy Baez produced one of the finest plays of the season at shortstop, capping off another 1-2-3 inning that Mize tossed.
In the fifth, Duran drove in Smith, who had opened the inning with a leadoff single, to score Texas’ first run. Marcus Semien, who had a huge series, gave the Rangers the lead later in the inning. Duran was scored by Semien’s RBI single with two outs, giving the reigning champions a 2-1 lead.
The Tigers themselves made a swift return when the tying run was scored in the sixth inning by a player who also had a fantastic series. Kerry Carpenter’s two-run RBI single tied the score once more, bringing the final score at 2-2. Jon Gray, the starter for Texas, was out of luck in that inning. Six innings pitched, three hits, two runs, two earned runs, three walks, and seven strikeouts was his final line of work.
Casey Mize retired the Rangers in order and struck out two in his final inning of work. His final line read: five hits, two runs, two earned runs, no walks, and six strikeouts in six innings thrown. For the former first-round choice, it was not a horrible homecoming to Comerica Park.
