Tyler Alexander entered Friday having conceded three home runs over 27 innings since returning to the Detroit Tigers‘ starting rotation in late July. He allowed three or fewer runs in all five outings.
On Friday, the Texas Rangers crushed Alexander for seven runs over three innings. The left-hander gave up three home runs — one in each inning — as the Tigers lost, 7-6, in the first of three games at Globe Life Field.
Nathaniel Lowe hit a homer in the first, followed by Ezequiel Duran in the second and Mark Mathias in the third. The Rangers scored one run in the first, three in the second and three in the third.
“He struggled command, he struggled getting into counts, and then they hit him hard,” manager A.J. Hinch told reports in Arlington, Texas. “He had a hard time in each of the innings he was in there. It wasn’t his night.”
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The Tigers (48-78) couldn’t overcome the early deficit.
In the ninth inning, Riley Greene plowed a two-strike slider from right-handed reliever Jose Leclerc for a two-run home run with one out, putting the Tigers down by one. He hit the ball 411 feet to right-center, with a 110.3 mph exit velocity.
Victor Reyes singled, but Javier Báez and Harold Castro struck out swinging on pitches outside the strike zone to end the game.
“Our guys will play,” Hinch said. “They’ll play hard from the beginning of the game to the end of the game. … We’re not going to quit. The character of this team is really good. Our record is not. But we’ll play the full game.”
Greene, a 21-year-old rookie, finished 3-for-5 with a single, triple and home run. The rest of the team combined for four hits — one each by Reyes, Castro, Jeimer Candelario and Akil Baddoo — and four walks. The Tigers struck out 11 times.
“Riley is good,” Hinch said. “He’s settling in. He had a good night all the way around. When he gets a good pitch to hit, which we talk about a lot, and doesn’t get overanxious and shows some patience, he’s got a chance to put some pretty good swings on the ball.”
After Alexander’s exit, right-hander Garrett Hill entered for his first big-league relief outing. He pitched three scoreless innings and struck out the side — Bubba Thompson, Marcus Semien and Corey Seager — in the fourth. Semien went down swinging with two runners on to end the sixth inning.
“He was good,” Hinch said. “I need to get him in there when I can, and he needed to be the bridge. His three innings gave us a chance to hold it and have a chance to come back.”
But the damage was already done.
The Rangers struck first in the bottom of the first when Lowe hammered a second-pitch cutter over the middle of the plate for a 449-foot home run. His blast, which had a 109.5 mph exit velocity, came with two outs; Seager, the previous batter, grounded into a double play with Semien on the bases.
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In the second, back-to-back one-out walks from Leody Taveras and Mathias set the table for Duran. He hit a cutter 412 feet with a 108.6 mph exit velocity for a three-run homer and 4-0 lead.
Three more runs came in the third. Alexander had two outs with a runner on second base when Taveras stepped to the plate. He singled to left field to score Adolis Garcia from second for a 5-2 advantage. Then, Mathias made it 7-2 with a two-run homer that traveled 398 feet.
In total, 1,259 feet of homers.
“When he executes poorly, like tonight, it’s a tough night,” Hinch said of Alexander. “I think that’s the takeaway.”
Alexander completed the third, but he allowed seven runs on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts. He threw 43 of 68 pitches for strikes, and among the 13 balls in play, the Rangers averaged a 91.1 mph exit velocity. Three of his 20 cutters were put in play and had a 107.8 mph average exit velocity.
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Rally cats
The Tigers’ offense gave Alexander a chance to limit the damage and pitch deep into the game, specifically when they cut the deficit to 4-2 in the top of the third inning. But the Rangers extended their lead to 7-2 with three runs in the bottom of the frame.
Facing right-handed starter Glenn Otto, Candelario doubled to start the third inning. He came around to score on a single from Greene for the Tigers’ first run. Castro drove in the second run on an RBI single with two outs. Runners were on the corners, but Miguel Cabrera grounded out to the pitcher.
With Baddoo on first in the fifth inning, Greene cranked a two-strike slider past a diving Garcia in right-center field. The ball rolled to the wall before Taveras, the center fielder, picked it up. By that point, Baddoo was on his way to score and Greene was destined for a triple. On the relay, a throwing error by Semien put Greene in position to dash for home.
He succeeded to put the Tigers down by three runs, 7-4.
The Tigers scored four runs on five hits and two walks in five innings against Otto. They struck out three times..
The rest of the Tigers’ bullpen, following Hill’s scoreless three innings, kept the Rangers at bay. Right-handers Jason Foley and Jose Cisnero pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, respectively.