Looking for a comeback win by the Detroit Tigers? Keep looking.
The Tigers blew a great scoring opportunity in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and nobody out to fall, 3-1, to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday for their fifth loss in six games.
The cold Tigers (43-37, .538) and hot Cleveland Indians (44-38, .537) are in a virtual tie for first place in the Central Division. The Tribe completed their first four-game sweep of the White Sox in Chicago since 1948, and the Tigers dropped the rubber game of a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Detroit starter Rick Porcello appeared to plunk Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist in the first inning in retaliation for the high inside fastball Fernando Rodney threw near Miguel Cabrera’s head Saturday night. The Tigers denied anything intentional and the Rays had little doubt that the pitch was thrown with a purpose.
There was no debating that Porcello pitched well enough to win. However, the only support he received over six innings was a solo homer by Miguel Cabrera in the fourth inning. It was just the second ball to land in the mantra ray tank in right-center at Tropicana Field, and the only splash the Tigers could make – literally and figuratively.
It was a loss like nearly every other one this season for Detroit, with no firepower down the stretch.
The Tigers have lost 37 games, and 33 of them have come because a late-inning statement couldn’t be made. Detroit is 4-33 (.121) when it’s either tied or behind after six innings.
Granted, it’s tough to come back. But championship teams just have to do better than the Tigers. Consider that in winning the American League Central in 2012, Detroit was 21-67 (.313) when tied or trailing after six innings.
Detroit struggled with Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson until the seventh inning. Andy Dirks lead off by slapping an opposite-field double, and then Omar Infante singled to put runners on the corners. Jhonny Peralta walked to load the bases with nobody out, and hard-throwing left-hander Jake McGee was called upon.
McGee brought a 4.99 ERA to the mound, and the game was ripe for the taking.
However, catcher Bryan Holaday popped up to short right field. Austin Jackson hit a ball to third baseman Kelly Johnson that he short-hopped before throwing home to force Dirks. It was up to Torii Hunter, and he flew out to center.
Detroit had only one base-runner the rest of the way.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland was asked about his club’s inability to get a clutch hit by FOX Sports Detroit’s Trevor Thompson.
“Some of the credit goes to the pitcher,” Leyland said. “But we’re just not swinging the bats good in big situations.”
Cabrera lined out to lead off the eighth and Prince Fielder struck out as that inning fizzled out.
Consider this: Cabrera and Fielder have combined to hit only 18 percent of their homers (7 of 38) in the seventh inning and beyond and accounted for just 17 percent of their RBIs (25 if 144) in those same late innings.
That’s about half of what you’d expect from over 33 percent of the innings played.
For whatever reason, Detroit and its best hitters have a huge production drop-off once the seventh inning begins.
It didn’t factor into the game, but Porcello drilling Zobrist in the upper arm with two out and nobody on in the first inning ended up drawing most of the media attention.
Leyland, after Rodney buzzed Cabrera with a 98 mph fastball before striking him out Saturday night, told reporters: “Throwing in that area is not acceptable, and somebody pays the price for that throughout baseball.
"That's just the way baseball is. That's not free. There's no free lunch. That won't be tolerated. You can take that to the bank."
After Sunday’s game and Porcello’s second hit batter all season, Leyland told Thompson: “Nobody’s trying to hit anybody…That’s just part of the game.”
Umpires issued a warning to both teams and there wasn’t another incident.
Porcello denied throwing at Zobrist, who walked slowly to first base while making eye contact with Porcello and third baseman Cabrera.
“I pitched in on that,” said Porcello, elaborating on his need to pitch inside to be successful.
And he added, “I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do to help my team.”
The Rays weren’t buying it.
“It was intentional – no question about it,” Zobrist told reporters afterward. “I thought that they should have done something about it.”
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon hopes the American League office does something more about it.
“It thought it was uncalled for,” Maddon said, “and hopefully the league looks at that.”
