Detroit — Could’ve been better, could’ve been worse.
All in all, the Tigers, lifeless for three games to start the season at Tampa Bay, will take the effort against the defending World Series-champion Houston Astros, despite a loss in Wednesday’s series finale. The Tigers took the first two against the Astros, before falling, 8-2, on Wednesday. They return home at 2-4 for Opening Day on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park.
“We played well,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “You want to get greedy and get out of here with all wins, but we will take the positive — that we stood up for ourselves after a really tough weekend in Tampa.
“(We) battled against a really good team.”
The Tigers scored 13 runs in the first two games against the Astros, coming up with several big hits — but they couldn’t seem to find the big one when they needed it Wednesday. They did almost nothing against Astros starter Cristian Javier (1-0), a right-hander who allowed just five hits, all of singles, and no walks while striking out five. Javier hasn’t lost in his last 12 starts, including last year’s postseason.
The best chance to get back in the game came in the seventh inning, when Astros reliever Bryan Abreu, just into the game, couldn’t find the strike zone. He walked the first two batters he faced and, after striking out Zach McKinstry, faced Javy Báez, pinch-hitting for Ryan Keidler as the potential tying run, the Tigers down, 4-1.
But Báez bounced a grounder up the middle for an inning-ending double play, and by the end of the next half-inning, the Astros led, 6-1.
And that was that.
“That was a big point,” Hinch told reporters after the game. “That was probably the most important inning of the game for us to try to get back into it, and we came up short.”
Not coming up short: the Astros sluggers.
Houston bombed three home runs in the game, including two off starter Eduardo Rodriguez (0-2), who wasn’t sharp and couldn’t get out of the fifth inning.
The Tigers’ veteran lefty entered the game with a 7.30 career ERA against the Astros, his worst against any American League team, and things didn’t improve. He nibbled a lot, and when he wasn’t nibbling, the Astros made him pay. He allowed four earned runs on six hits and two walks in 4.2 innings, striking out just one.
Chas McCormick tagged him for a towering two-run homer in the second to make it 2-0, demolishing a middle-in fastball that Rodriguez said wasn’t one of the many mistakes he made Wednesday.
“He just made a really good swing,” Rodriguez told reporters. “I feel like it was a pitch to throw.
“Sometimes you throw a good pitch and they just hit it out.”
Not such a great pitch was the do-nothing slider he gave to Kyle Tucker in the fourth inning. Right after Jose Abreu nearly went yard, Tucker hit into over the fence in right field as part of another multi-run inning — the Astros had four of them Wednesday. McCormick led to the other run in the fourth, with a double, scoring on Corey Julks’ sacrifice fly. Abreu ended Rodriguez’s day the next inning, on a sharp single to center, pitch No. 95.
The Astros added two more runs in the seventh, a throwing error by Báez — just into the game, and after his double play — helping spur the rally, originally against Garrett Hill, who relieved Rodriguez and was still in the game. Facing Tyler Alexander, Tucker had a flare RBI double to right — where Matt Vierling dived but couldn’t corral it, saying he lost it late in the lights — and later scored himself on a sacrifice fly.
An inning later, Alexander gave up a two-run homer to Jeremy Pena. Pena also had a double in the two-run seventh.
The Tigers got on the scoreboard in the third inning, cutting the Astros’ lead to 2-1 when McKinstry reached on a one-out single, then stole second base, went to third on a groundout and scored on Nick Maton’s two-out infield single down the line at third base. It was Maton’s first hit as a Tiger.
Detroit closed its scoring in the eighth, when Riley Greene (2-for-4; only Tiger with multiple hits) tripled to the gap in right-center and scored on Austin Meadows’ opposite-field single.
A little while later, the Tigers were boarding a plane back to Detroit — not the happiest they could’ve been, but not the angriest either, bouncing back ahead of Opening Day at Comerica Park.
“I’m excited,” Hinch said. “It’s always a big day in Detroit. It’s very historical.
“Coming off a series win, we’re pretty anxious to get home.”
Around the horn
▶ The Miguel Cabrera Farewell Tour continued. While Cabrera, in the final season of his Hall-of-Fame career, didn’t play in the series finale, he was honored by the Astros before the game. Cabrera was presented with a bottle of wine from Astros manager Dusty Baker’s own vineyard, as well as a 10-gallon cowboy hat, which Cabrera put right on. The brief pregame ceremony included Hall-of-Famers Reggie Jackson and Craig Biggio.
▶ The Tigers stole just 47 bases in 2022. On Wednesday, they stole four — one from Greene, Vierling, Eric Haase and McKinstry. The Tigers took advantage of Javier’s slow delivery, as well as the Astros’ starting catcher, Gold Glove winner Martin Maldonado, having the game off.
▶ Michigan native Laith Al-Saadi will sing the national anthem before the Tigers’ home opener Thursday, with “The Voice” alum’s performance being followed by a flyover of four A-10 Thunderbolt “Warthog” planes from the 107th Fighter Squadron out of Selfridge.
▶ In other Opening Day details: Comerica Park gates will open early, at 10:30 a.m., and the Tigers say legends from the Detroit sports landscape will throw out ceremonial first pitches. Pregame introductions start at 12:35. Limited standing room-only tickets were still available Wednesday.
▶ A day after going 3-for-4 with a home run, Spencer Torkelson was 0-for-4 on Wednesday.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tonypaul1984
On deck: Red Sox
▶Series: Three games, Comerica Park, Detroit
▶First pitch: 1:10 Thursday, 4:10 Saturday, 1:10 Sunday
▶TV/radio: All three games on Bally Sports Detroit/97.1
▶Probables: Thursday — LHP Chris Sale (0-0. 21.00) vs. RHP Spencer Turnbull (0-1, 27.00); Saturday — RHP Tanner Houck (1-0, 5.40) vs. LHP Joey Wentz (0-1, 5.06); Sunday — RHP Kutter Crawford (0-1, 15.75) vs. LHP Matthew Boyd (0-0, 4.15)
THURSDAY’S SCOUTING REPORT
▶Sale, Red Sox: This will be just his 13th start since 2019. He’s endured a string of injuries, running the gamut from Tommy John surgery, to a rib injury, broken pinky and broken wrist. He only lasted three innings in his season debut against the Orioles, allowing three homers and seven runs.
▶Turnbull, Tigers: His first start back after 19 months wasn’t exactly the dream scenario he’d hoped for. He struggled to find the feel of one of his best weapons, his slider. He didn’t get out of the third inning. That’s how it goes for most pitchers coming back from Tommy John. There’s ups and downs still to navigate through. With the added adrenaline of the home opener, expect a much more Bull-ish performance this time.
— Chris McCosky