LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers competed in an intrasquad scrimmage at 11 a.m. Thursday at the TigerTown backfields.
The two teams were Team Trammell, wearing gray uniforms, and Team Horton, wearing whites. Right-hander Jordan Marks started for Team Trammell; right-hander Austin Bergner started for Team Horton.
The game ended after the top of the ninth inning due to rain, which is why the scrimmage was moved from Joker Marchant Stadium to the backfields. Fans watched from beyond the outfield fence.
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Team Trammell beat Team Horton, 10-2.
“It felt like a sandlot game,” Tigers shortstop Ryan Kreidler said. “I tip my cap to those people who wanted to come out and watch, although the game got moved out of the stadium. I know people love watching Tigers spring training. It was a fun atmosphere.”
Kreidler, who starred in the scrimmage with a three-run home run off Chavez Fernander in the eighth inning, played three innings each at shortstop, second base and third base.
“Playing shortstop prepares you to play all of them,” Kreidler said. “I played third in college, so I feel pretty comfortable. I haven’t played much second, but it’s a middle infield position. The throw is a little different and the speed of the ball is a little different. But other than that, it’s just baseball.”
Team Trammell: Riley Greene (CF), Spencer Torkelson (1B), Kreidler (SS), Gage Workman (DH), Eric De La Rosa (RF), Andre Lipcius (3B), Jacob Robson (LF), Jack Lopez (2B), Eliezer Alfonzo (C), Mike Rothenberg (DH).
Team Horton: Parker Meadows (CF), Cristian Santana (SS), Izaac Pacheco (3B), Dillon Dingler (DH), Colt Keith (DH), Roberto Campos (RF), Josh Lester (1B), Daniel Cabrera (LF), Luis Carpio (2B), Chris Rabago (C).
Observations
• Bergner started strong, shutting down Greene (groundout to first base), Torkelson (groundout to third base) and Kreidler (strikeout swinging) for an efficient first inning. His new vertical slider, taught by director of pitching Gabe Ribas, struck out Kreidler. But Bergner slumped in the second, as Workman (double to right field) and De La Rosa (walk) reached safely. Lopez scored both teammates with a two-out single, putting Team Trammell ahead 2-0.
• Pacheco showed his toughness in the batter’s box in the first inning. Facing Marks, he battled for 11 pitches. Before the at-bat ended, though, the inning was called due to Marks’ pitch count. Pacheco returned to the plate to open the second inning, and on Marks’ second pitch, the 19-year-old left-handed hitter blasted an opposite-field solo homer for Team Horton’s first run.
• Santana, the Tigers’ 18-year-old phenom, displayed his defensive abilities in the second inning. He made a diving stop on a hard-hit grounder from Lipcius. From the ground, he made a crisp throw that beat Lipcius to the bag. Santana made plenty of defensive stops to keep the ball in the infield, but this was a magnificent play.
“He’s a special player,” Kreidler said. “It’s been fun watching him work. He’s a very confident person. People are excited about him for a good reason. He’s got what a whole lot of people like to see. He’s super talent and has a good head on his shoulders.”
• For the third and fourth innings, right-hander Dylan Smith pitched for Team Horton. He worked around a one-out walk from Rothenberg, who was thrown out by Rabago trying to steal second base. Greene struck out swinging for the third out.
• Right-hander Tanner Kohlhepp pitched for Team Trammell in the third and fourth innings. He retired his opponents in order in the third: Campos (flyout to right field), Lester (groundout to shortstop) and Cabrera (popout to first base).
• Team Trammell upped its lead in the fourth inning, thanks to Torkelson, Kreidler and Workman. Torkelson opened with an infield single off Smith. Kreidler ripped a single past Pacheco, the third baseman, and into left field. On the play, Torkelson advanced to third base and Kreidler cruised into second. A passed ball scored Torkelson, and Workman’s sacrifice fly to center field made it 4-1. Smith finished his outing by retiring De La Rosa and Lipcius.
“It was the first time I hit off (Smith),” Kreidler said. “He’s a super competitive kid with a really, really good fastball. These backfield games are so interesting. There’s no scouting report. I don’t know the velocity. It’s like old-school baseball.”
• In the bottom of the fourth, Kohlhepp put two runners on: Carpio (single) and Rabago (walk). He struck out Meadows, then Santana hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Carpio for Team Horton’s second and final run.
• Right-hander Markus Solbach and righty Garrett Burhenn pitched the fifth and sixth innings for Team Horton and Team Trammell, respectively. In the top of the sixth, Greene opened with a bloop double that dropped into left field. But Team Trammell stranded him: Torkelson popped out to shallow center field, Kreidler popped out to first base and Workman grounded out to first base.
• Right-hander Blake Holub (Team Horton) and righty Brendan White (Team Trammell) pitched scoreless seventh innings.
• In the eighth, Team Trammell attacked Fernander, a right-handed pitcher, with two outs. Greene singled up the middle, followed by a walk from Torkelson. That’s when Kreidler cranked his first scrimmage home run in camp. He blasted Fernander’s first-pitch slider over the fence in left-center field to give Team Trammell a 7-2 lead.
“Walk to Torkelson on a 3-1 slider,” Kreidler said. “I didn’t know what he was going to throw. He’s a fastball-slider guy and likes his slider. Last week, he threw me a fastball first pitch, so today I was thinking slider.”
• Team Trammell tacked on two more home runs in the top of the ninth. Danuerys De La Cruz singled off right-hander Michael Bienlien, then Lipcius hit a two-run homer to straightaway center field — just beyond the 420-foot marker — for a seven-run advantage. Robson made the score 10-2, ending the scrimmage with a solo home run to left field.
“He’s a real hitter,” Kreidler said of Lipcius, who has two homers in scrimmages this spring. “I’m not surprised one bit by what Andre does. He’s a professional hitter. He got drafted for a reason. He’s a great defender, as well, and a versatile guy. He’s a confident hitter. I don’t think anything is a fluke with Andre. I have a lot of confidence in him.”
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