Detroit − Looking at it honestly, it felt almost inevitable the Tigers were going to get no-hit. They’d been threatening to be no-hit in just about every game of this six-game road trip.
On Thursday, right-hander Zack Wheeler was five outs away from pitching the 14th no-hitter in the rich history of the Philadelphia Phillies.
But with one out in the eighth, Jonathan Schoop reached on an error by former Tiger Josh Harrison and Tyler Nevin followed with a line single to right. Suddenly, the Tigers went from no-hit fodder to having a chance to win a baseball game.
They did not win. Former Tiger Kody Clemens lined a single off Alex Lange in the bottom of the ninth and the Phillies walked off the Tigers 3-2 at Citizens Bank Park.
The Tigers have lost six straight games. Three of them were walk-off losses. On top of that, they lost their off day, which was supposed to be Thursday, after poor air quality forced postponement of the game Wednesday. And, not for nothing, the National League West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks will be at Comerica Park to start a three-game set Friday.
“This is the big leagues, so it’s tough love when it comes to that,” manager AJ Hinch told Bally Sports Detroit after the game. “It’s not going to change. We have to get ourselves together and create some momentum for ourselves. We’re a little beat up mentally and physically, but it’s the big leagues. We have to find a way.”
Down 1-0 and with runners at first and third after Nevin broke up Wheeler’s no-hit bid in the eighth, Zack Short laid down a bunt single on the first pitch from reliever Seranthony Dominguez to score pinch-runner Jake Marisnick with the tying run from third base.
And then in the top of the ninth, former Phillie Nick Maton lined a 1-2 pitch from closer Craig Kimbrel into right field scoring Javier Báez from second base, giving the Tigers an improbable 2-1 lead.
Báez singled and went to second on a throwing error by Kimbrel. Maton, who hit a three-run homer in the opener of the series on Monday, stayed on a knuckle curveball and drove through the right side of the infield.
But the Tigers left the bases loaded against Kimbrell. Bryce Harper led off the bottom of the ninth with a double off Lange. A sacrifice fly by Brandon Marsh tied it and the Clemens, with two outs, won with a line drive single.
“We played well at the end, but they played better at the end and they got the last crack at it,” Hinch said. “I’m proud of our guys for hanging in there against a really good pitcher. But we didn’t do anything until the very end.”
The series finale in Chicago ended with Lange giving up a walk-off grand slam by Jake Burger.
“These guys that pitch at the back end aren’t going to be perfect,” Hinch said. “It’s a shame that it’s back to back for Alex because he’s been so good for us all year. We trust him a ton. I know it didn’t work out tonight, but that’s the life of a closer.”
Wheeler, though, was impressive. He allowed two base runners through seven innings, a walk and a hit-batsman, with eight strikeouts.
It was hard to tell which was more toxic Thursday night – the smoke from the Canadian wildfires that has blanketed the upper East Coast or Wheeler’s fastball. He bullied Tigers hitters with it. Seven of his eight strikeouts were with his 96-97 mph four-seam fastball.
Twelve of his 22 outs were with the fastballs. He bullied the Tigers with it.
“Mostly he just powered it past us,” Hinch said. “We couldn’t hit the fastball hardly at all. We don’t recognize spin because we were a little concerned about the fastball.”
It has been a familiar script.
In the first three innings of the six games of this road trip, three in Chicago, three in Philadelphia, the Tigers went 1-for-52. All against right-handed starting pitchers.
White Sox Dylan Cease didn’t allow a hit for the first five innings. Aaron Nola no-hit them for 6.2 innings. It took them to the fifth to get their first hit off Taijuan Walker.
And on Thursday, Wheeler got within four outs.
A lot of stout Tigers pitching went for naught in the series.
After Kyle Schwarber led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run on Tuesday, the Phillies and Tigers hung zeros for 14 straight innings.
After lefty Tyler Holton opened the game for the Tigers, striking out the lefty-swinging Schwarber and getting a double-play ball from lefty Bryce Harper, right-hander Reese Olson shut the Phillies down through the fifth.
In his second big-league start, he allowed two singles, had three strikeouts and induced four ground ball outs from the second through the fifth innings. But with one out in the sixth, he walked Schwarber.
Former Tiger Nick Castellanos singled Schwarber to third and Harper, reaching out on a two-strike pitch outside of the strike zone, lofted a sacrifice fly to left.
Lefty Chasen Shreve struck out the side in the seventh and Jason Foley pitched around an error by Javier Baez in the eighth.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky