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Brant Hurter impresses as reliever in MLB debut, but Detroit Tigers lose, 3-2, to Royals

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Brant Hurter impresses as reliever in MLB debut, but Detroit Tigers lose, 3-2, to Royals


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It wasn’t a start, but it was an MLB debut to remember for Detroit Tigers left-hander Brant Hurter.

The 25-year-old, a starter who had a 5.80 ERA across 71⅓ innings in Triple-A Toledo, joined the Tigers’ 11-man bullpen as a bulk reliever. He appeared in his first game Sunday against the Kansas City Royals, completing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

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Hurter impressed, but a bad pitch from a different reliever resulted in the Tigers losing to the Royals, 3-2, in Sunday’s finale of four games to drop the series at Comerica Park.

“Tough loss because we were in position to win,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “and we had the avenues to get to the finish line. That’s a gut punch.”

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Tigers promote left-hander Brant Hurter from Triple-A Toledo for MLB debut

Right-handed reliever Shelby Miller, a 12-year veteran, surrendered a three-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning. He hung a first-pitch splitter to pinch-hitter MJ Melendez, who drove the ball over the wall in right field.

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“They’re going to unleash all those lefties at any point,” Hinch said. “Shelby has given up eight hits to lefties on the year coming into that inning. Two two-strike hits, and then a bad split to a hitter that can hit the ball out of the ballpark, and it changes the whole landscape of the game.”

The Tigers (53-60) have lost 10 of their past 14 games.

Hurter handled the fifth, sixth and seventh innings against the Royals without issuing a walk while working around two hits, throwing 26 of 36 pitches for strikes. He generated six whiffs on 19 swings with one sinker, two sweepers and three fastballs.

His three scoreless innings protected the Tigers’ slim lead.

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“The big thing with me is my balls move all which ways,” Hurter said. “Throwing strikes and getting ahead is the big thing. I’ll get soft contact if I do that. If they’re able to spit on certain pitches, I’m a lot less successful.”

Hurter allowed singles to Vinnie Pasquantino and Hunter Renfroe in the sixth inning, but he escaped trouble by striking out Paul DeJong swinging with an up-and-in 92.9 mph four-seam fastball.

Before that, Hurter — who is still learning to command his changeup to right-handed hitters — struck out Salvador Pérez for the first strikeout of his MLB career. He fanned the veteran catcher, a nine-time All-Star in his 13-year career, with a down-and-away sweeper for the second out in the sixth inning.

“It was super cool,” Hurter said. “I think I threw a sinker away that he chased, so I threw a slider off that and was able to get the swing and miss. That was a really cool moment for me.”

Hurter also struck out Dairon Blanco looking with a sweeper to complete his three-inning relief appearance.

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“Brant was great,” catcher Dillon Dingler said. “He was controlling the zone really, really well with pretty much every shape that he had. I was super happy for him. He had some great innings out of the bullpen there. I know he’s probably floating right now. I’m really looking forward to what he can do moving forward.”

LET KEITH COOK: Tigers’ Colt Keith wins American League Rookie of the Month for July

The Tigers removed Hurter — in favor of right-handed reliever Will Vest — before he could have a second matchup with the top of the Royals’ batting order, anchored by superstar Bobby Witt Jr., in the eighth inning.

Vest did his job, but Miller didn’t take care of his business.

In the ninth inning, Miller allowed a leadoff single to Renfroe and a one-out single to Freddy Fermin. The Royals ended up with runners on the corners and two outs. Melendez stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter, representing the go-ahead run, then crushed a three-run home run.

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After the homer, Miller owns a 5.85 ERA in 40 innings this season.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

Quality plate appearances

The Tigers scored one run in the second inning and one run in the fifth inning.

Zach McKinstry sparked the second-inning run with a two-out triple on a first-pitch fastball from right-hander Michael Wacha. Dingler, a rookie catcher playing in his third game, worked a four-pitch walk to extend the inning. With runners on the corners, Gio Urshela hit a down-and-away cutter for a ground-ball single into left field, which scored McKinstry from third base for a 1-0 lead.

SKUBAL DAY: Why Tigers’ Tarik Skubal didn’t get to face Bobby Witt Jr. in 7th inning

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A leadoff walk from Javier Báez sparked the fifth-inning run. He advanced to third on Colt Keith’s one-out single, and then he scored on Matt Vierling’s sacrifice fly to right field, taking a 2-0 lead.

The Tigers then loaded the bases with an ensuing single from Justyn-Henry Malloy and a walk by Bligh Madris, but McKinstry grounded out to strand the runners.

There was also an opportunity to extend the lead in the sixth inning, with runners on the corners for Wenceel Pérez, but Pérez grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Wacha allowed two runs on seven hits and four walks with two strikeouts across six innings, throwing 99 pitches. The Tigers had quality plate appearances throughout those six innings but failed to get the big swing to put up a crooked number on the scoreboard.

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Two relievers before Hurter

The Tigers didn’t bring Hurter into the game until the fifth inning, even though he has worked as a starting pitcher throughout his career in the minor leagues.

“He attacked the strike zone with his best stuff,” Hinch said of Hurter. “He used all of this pitches, which was great. He can fall in the trap of falling in love with the sinker to get the ball on the ground because when it does, you want more of the same. … I though the handled the emotions of today extremely well.”

Instead, the Tigers started right-handed reliever Alex Faedo.

The combination of Faedo and right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee completed the first four innings. Faedo covered 1⅔ scoreless innings, working around two hits and one walk with three strikeouts; Hanifee covered 2⅓ scoreless innings with one strikeout.

Faedo owns a 3.69 ERA across 53⅔ innings this season.

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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.





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Detroit, MI

Detroit City FC falls to Pittsburgh, winless streak reaches five

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Detroit City FC falls to Pittsburgh, winless streak reaches five


Detroit City FC lost its second straight league match and its winless streak was extended to five on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Pittsburgh.

After a slow and uneventful first half-hour DCFC was suddenly stunned in the 37th minute when a long pass into the box by Robbie Mertz (Michigan Wolverines) was headed into the back of the net by Perrin Barnes for a 1-0 lead.

Pittsburgh’s second goal came in the 66th minute when a long crossing pass from the right side deflected to Mertz near the far post, and he steered it in as he slid toward the net.

Perhaps the best scoring chance of the match that didn’t result in a goal came in the 80th minute when a point-blank shot by Charles Ahl was kick-saved by Detroit keeper Carlos Herrera.

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DCFC, which hasn’t posted a victory since beating this same Pittsburgh side on April 26, remains in fifth place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference at 4-3-5. Pittsburgh is in sixth place at 4-5-2.

Detroit will remain on the road for one more week, facing Loudoun United FC in Leesburg, Virginia, on June 14. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

W League

(At) Detroit City FC 1, Kalamazoo FC 0: Mary Karolak scored in the 69th minute for DCFC (3-1-1). Kalamazoo is 2-3.



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Detroit, MI

Formal complaint accuses Metro Detroit judge of mistreating court employees

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Formal complaint accuses Metro Detroit judge of mistreating court employees


A Michigan district court judge is accused of refusing to provide a psychological evaluation to the Judicial Tenure Commission and creating a “climate of fear among court personnel” in a new formal complaint.

A complaint was filed on Wednesday against Judge Kristen Hartig, who served in the 52-4 District Court in Troy, Michigan. In a statement, Chief Judge Travis Reed said he requested that Hartig be temporarily removed from the docket.

Hartig has 14 days to respond to the complaint.

“The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of our courts. While due process is vital, accountability helps preserve public trust in the judiciary,’ Reed said. “Based on the limited information available to me at the time, I removed Judge Hartig from the most serious cases within the authority I had as chief judge. Now that a formal complaint has been filed, further action may be appropriate. I believe temporarily removing her from her full docket would be in the best interest of the court and the communities we serve.”  

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According to the complaint, the commission began investigating misconduct allegations before April 2024. The commission concluded that mental health was an issue and ordered Hartig to undergo a psychological evaluation. After receiving her results, Hartig was ordered by the commission to provide the documents; however, she refused despite the commission extending the deadline to provide them. 

The complaint says that Hartig eventually submitted the documents six months after the commission requested them. The complaint included the findings from the exam, but it was blacked out as requested by Hartig, “pending a determination by presiding authorities as to whether it should be kept sealed during the pendency of the proceedings.”

The complaint claims that Hartig required a court administrator to be available during scheduled absences and scolded the administrator for not answering emails when she attended a funeral. Hartig allegedly told the administrator that she must be in contact with her every day unless she was “unconscious,” according to the complaint.

The commission accused Hartig of ordering the court administrator to find a substitute for a clerk, although that was not part of the administrator’s duties. Additionally, Hartig was accused of directing a pregnant probation officer to stand up and show her belly during a Zoom meeting without the officer’s consent.

According to the complaint, Hartig is accused of improperly dismissing felony cases with prejudice to punish Oakland County prosecutors over scheduling issues and for prosecutors opposing hearings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission says Hartig only had the authority to dismiss cases without prejudice.

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In one of those cases, the commission says Hartig’s dismissal “was not made in good faith and/or with due diligence.”

Hartig became a district court judge in 2010, according to her bio on the court’s website. She currently oversees the Recovery Treatment Court, which works to rehabilitate people, and has conducted town halls to educate residents on the opioid epidemic.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit woman killed in two-vehicle crash in Genesee County

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Detroit woman killed in two-vehicle crash in Genesee County


A Detroit woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon in Genesee County, Michigan. 

Grand Blanc Township Police Department police chief William Renye reported the victim was an 85-year-old Detroit resident. Her name was not provided. 

The other driver, a 47-year-old Holly man, northbound Subaru was hospitalized after the crash and is expected to recover from his injuries. 

The crash happened about 5 p.m. 

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The Detroit woman was driving a Mazda from Holly Road, turning onto Baldwin Road at the time of the crash. The Holly man was driving a Subaru northbound. 

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim of this crash,” the police chief said. 

Holly Road was closed at Baldwin during the preliminary investigation and cleanup. 

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