Detroit, MI
Justyn-Henry Malloy, Max Clark collide in Detroit Tigers’ 4-2 loss in Grapefruit finale
CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers lost, 4-2, to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday in their final Grapefruit League game.
Detroit ended with a 12-13 record in Grapefruit League play.
What happened
The big scare happened in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Justyn-Henry Malloy, who was playing left field and is fighting to make this roster, collided with centerfielder Max Clark, the Tigers’ highly touted prospect.
Both players stayed on the grass for some time. After medical personnel and manager A.J. Hinch rushed out to the outfield, Malloy walked off the field and Clark stayed in the game.
As the ball rested in the outfield — and no other fielders around — Bryson Stott went slowly around the bases for a two-run inside-the-park homer.
Malloy was replaced by Jahmai Jones, who is also fighting for one of the last spots on the roster; Jones later homered.
Get away
The Tigers kicked off a wild few days.
Early Sunday morning, they bussed west from Lakeland to Clearwater to play the Phillies, then planned to hop on a plane to fly to San Francisco for a couple of exhibition games.
So, this Sunday get-away before the get-away game featured just enough big leaguers to appease MLB rules — you have to bring a certain number of MLB players to an away spring training game — but plenty of playing time was taken up by prospects.
On the mound
Right-hander Reese Olson made his fourth start of Grapefruit League play (and his fifth outing overall when including a simulated game on March 11).
He threw 5⅓ innings, allowing four hits and two runs. He struck out three with two walks.
What has Hinch seen from Olson this spring?
“I’ve just seen him healthy,” Hinch said. “He’s very consistent. His personality is really easy to deal with every day. He has the kind of the workman’s mentality where he just brings the lunchpail to work, and he’s understated, which is what leads him to be a little under-appreciated.”
Olson is coming off a strange season Last year, Olson had a 3.18 ERA in five starts in April, but the Tigers struggled, and he had a 0-4 record. But he posted a 0.64 ERA in five starts in May
“I think his first half last year was better than it was ever talked about,” Hinch said. “And then the first start afterwards he gets hurt.”
But he pitched in the postseason.
“By the time people caught up that he was pretty damn good, he was inactive,” Hinch said. “He’s a continuous learner. He will tweak a lot of things, but I never have to worry about getting him getting too high or too low.”
At the plate
Infielder Kevin McGonigle, another of the Tigers top prospects, started at shortstop. He doesn’t seem fazed by big leaguers.
He hit a homer to right field off Aaron Nola, who received Cy Young votes in three of the last five years.
Spencer Torkelson, who is also fighting to make this club, went 2-for-3, finishing his spring training with a noteworthy .326 average.
On to San Francisco
The Tigers planned to leave for San Francisco immediately after this game.
And they will bring a group of minor leaguers as a taxi squad.
They will play Monday night, bringing back “pitching chaos.” No, kidding.
“We’re doing a bullpen game, everyone’s favorite, on Monday,” Hinch said, smiling. “Nine relievers, my dream scenario.”
And Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe are expected to pitch in Tuesday’s game.
Part of it is to get to the West Coast and adjust to the time change. But it’s more than that.
“I just think it’s good to do something different on your way to to Opening Day, if you can,” Hinch said. “It gives us a couple days to just everything changes. Everything. Everybody’s in a good mood today that you know is traveling. Everybody, there’s just a little more energy.”
Some players, such as relievers Tyler Owens and Chase Lee, are making the trip just so they can experience travel with the big-league club, knowing they might be needed at some point this season.
“So, their first time with us will not be quite as intimidating,” Hinch said.
Three stars
1. McGonigle; 2. Olson; 3. Torkelson.
Next up: Giants
Monday (9:45 p.m., no TV) vs. San Francisco in an exhibition game at Oracle Park.
TRENDING: Jackson Jobe and Casey Mize have made Tigers starting pitching rotation
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
After getting absolutely annihilated in his previous start on Monday in Minnesota to the tune of 11 runs in just 1.2 innings, Garrett Crochet is set to retake the mound today and convince us all that everything will be fine as far as he and his health are concerned.
Unfortunately, he won’t just be battling the Tigers. Mother Nature is once again destined to play a roll in today’s match up, and here’s how the radar looks inside of an hour from first pitch:
The good news is the initial batch of heavier precipitation has moved out and east of Boston, but more unsettled weather still lurks to the west ahead of a slow moving front. That mess will push through eastern Massachusetts over the next several hours, filling in the current dry slot. While this incoming precipitation won’t be as heavy as what fell at times earlier today, it will come attached with colder and windier conditions, so a miserable weather game lies ahead (if they even try and play through it at all — The Yankees did not and waited around for three hours before starting their game against the Royals at 4:20pm). The other option will be to just wait until after sunset when it will be dryer, but still very cold and windy.
When they do get started, today’s lineup includes Roman Anthony leading off in leftfield, Andruw Monasterio at first base, and Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, and Marcelo Mayer all starting on the bench with an opposing left-handed starter on the mound in Framber Valdez for Detroit.
OTM’s own pitching guru Jacob Roy will be around later to handle the postgame wrap and tell us if we should should be freaking out or breathing a sigh a relief when it comes to Crochet.
The Pistons have made recent moves to add more shooting, but still don’t have anyone quite as lethal as former Detroit guard Luke Kennard. On Saturday night, Kennard had a brilliant start to his postseason with 27 uber-efficient points for the Lakers in a win against the Rockets. His level of 3-point accuracy is something the Pistons have desperately been seeking all season long to bolster their offense.
Luke Kennard’s shooting makes him a dangerous playoff performer
Kennard was originally drafted to Detroit with the 17th pick of the 2017 Draft. The Pistons have plenty of draft regrets from that general era of team history, but picking Kennard has never been one of them. Despite any other weaknesses he may have, his strength as a shooter has always been enough to offset them.
In terms of pure 3-point percentage, Kennard is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He averages 44% behind the arc for his career, and shot a blistering 48% this season – the best mark in the league. Given his incredible track record, it’s not exactly a shocker to see him shoot 5-of-5 from three en route to 27 points in Game 1.
Not only is Kennard obviously an excellent standstill shooter, but he’s also a master of getting himself open with his movement. On Saturday night, he was able to play off LeBron James perfectly for a few easy looks. After that, he caught enough of a rhythm to create 3-point looks for himself, even in transition.
A player like Kennard is easily capable of turning an entire playoff game when he gets hot. In a close series, that one game where Kennard hits several threes can be all the difference his team needs to advance. If the Lakers do manage to win this series, even without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Kennard’s shooting will be a major reason why.
The Pistons could use someone like Kennard
Kennard would be a perfect marginal addition for the Pistons that only makes them better without taking anything away from the team. To be fair, the Pistons do have two shooters who have been hot recently in Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter. But having more than one respected shooter on the court at a time is often necessary to maintain a solid offense in today’s NBA.
Given the Pistons’ current lack of shooting, any additional shooters are welcome. And Kennard is understandably one of the most feared shooters in the league, capable of bending defenses just by the threat of him taking a three. Rolling him out on the Pistons would surely open up more lanes for Detroit’s stars to attack the paint and score easier points.
Follow
A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported.
Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.
The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.
In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction.
None of the gunshots struck the vehicle.
Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident.
The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office.
In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.
The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.
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