LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-2, on Saturday at Joker Marchant Stadium in the first game of the Grapefruit League schedule in spring training.
The game, the Tigers’ first played under MLB’s new rules mandating a 15- or 20-second pitch clock, lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes.
“That’s a quick game, with a clock or without a clock,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “The first thing you notice is the dead time in between at-bats, or in between pitches, goes away.”
What happened
In the third inning, Parker Meadows — the younger of the organization’s two Meadows brothers — crushed the first pitch of his spring training, a 92 mph fastball from Erich Uelmen, to right-center for a solo home run.
The 23-year-old embraced with older brother Austin after crossing home plate.
“I stepped on home (plate),” Parker said. “I looked up, and I saw him running at me. I thought he was going to tackle me.”
Just like that, the Tigers had a 1-0 lead.
“That was a pretty cool moment,” Hinch said. “I can’t imagine what that feels like for a family member to do that with their parents in the stands. Parker will have something on Austin now for a while.”
POSITION BATTLES: Tigers’ 2023 Opening Day roster prediction 1.0
WHAT TO WATCH: Seven storylines at Tigers’ spring training: Who’s on 1st? (Spencer Torkelson!)
The Phillies tied the game, 2-2, in the seventh inning against left-hander Zack Logue. He was responsible for a single, a wild pitch, a hit-by-pitch, a double and a walk, along with a pitch clock violation that handed out a free ball. Former Tiger John Hicks ripped a two-run double to center to even the score.
Logue escaped the inning with an uncanny 6-3-5-2 triple play.
In the eighth, Andre Lipcus put the Tigers back on top, 4-2, with a two-run home run to left field. He crushed a 93 mph fastball from right-hander Jake Jewell. The 24-year-old seems likely to play an everyday role in Triple-A Toledo at the beginning of the regular season.
Starting off
Right-hander Garrett Hill, who could pitch out of the Tigers’ bullpen this season, started and completed two scoreless innings. The 27-year-old tossed 34 pitches (22 strikes) and allowed one hit and one walk without damage.
“I had (the pitch clock) for two months in Triple-A last year,” Hill said. “I got to know it pretty well, and I like to work quickly anyway. I think it’s a big advantage for the pitcher because hitters have to be ready quick.”
He worked himself into a jam in the second inning.
Hill walked Scott Kingery on 10 pitches, almost all of which were fastballs, then gave up an infield single to Hicks. The next batter, Simon Muzziotti, grounded into an inning-ending double play to end Hill’s outing.
In the first inning, Hill struck out former Tiger Nick Castellanos with a nasty down-and-away slider. He fastball sat around 95 mph out of the windup and 94 mph out of the stretch.
“I just started working on that specific gyro slider two days ago in my bullpen,” Hill said. “To pull that out against a hitter of that caliber, that felt good.”
At the plate
After Parker Meadows’ solo shot, which had a 110 mph exit velocity, the Tigers scored again in the sixth inning on an RBI single from Jermaine Palacios following a fielding error and a hit-by-pitch.
Palacios hit a changeup from Jewell into left for a 2-0 lead.
MEADOWS BROS: Tigers brothers Austin, Parker Meadows arrive for epic spring training they won’t forget
FRIDAY’S OBSERVATIONS: Prospect Colt Keith won’t make Opening Day squad but looks comfortable
In the second inning, Akil Baddoo doubled off left-hander Michael Plassmeyer’s 89 mph fastball. The 24-year-old has hit .219 with zero home runs in 150 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers in his MLB career.
Baddoo, Palacios, Lipcius, Parker Meadows, Andy Ibáñez and Zack Short collected hits for the Tigers.
Austin Meadows almost hit a massive home run down the right-field line.
“Mine was fair, by the way,” Meadows said.
“Every hitter thinks it’s fair,” Hinch said, laughing.
On the mound
The best pitcher out of the bullpen was Rule 5 draft pick Mason Englert, a right-hander from the Texas Rangers. For the Tigers to keep him, the 23-year-old will need to stay on the active roster for the entire season.
He pitched two scoreless innings without allowing a hit or a walk, striking out four while getting seven whiffs.
“(Catcher Andrew) Knapp had some really good calls,” Englert said. “We really quickly got on the same page without even communicating before the game at all. That was really nice to see. I felt really comfortable. A big credit to the target being good.”
Englert tossed 17 strikes on 20 pitches.
“If he wants to have a chance to make the team, he has to throw strikes,” Hinch said. “That’s the display of throwing strikes, and that was good to see, especially as his first outing.”
ON THE RISE: Tigers prospect Brendan White throws strikes, adds new pitch: ‘Execution is everything’
ANOTHER ARM: Tigers prospect Reese Olson looks to go from strikeout machine to MLB pitcher
The Tigers also pitched left-hander Adam Wolf in the third inning and right-hander Miguel Diaz in the fourth. Right-hander Yaya Chentouf, pulled up from minor-league camp, entered for the eighth. He didn’t look sharp early on but stranded two runners and struck out the final batter he faced.
Right-hander Angel De Jesus finished off a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Three stars
1. Lipcius, 2. Englert, 3. Parker Meadows.
Next up
Sunday vs. Baltimore Orioles in Lakeland.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.