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Detroit Tigers can’t recover from defensive mistake in 4-3 loss to Minnesota Twins

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Detroit Tigers can’t recover from defensive mistake in 4-3 loss to Minnesota Twins


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MINNEAPOLIS — First baseman Spencer Torkelson continues to struggle on defense.

The Detroit Tigers were trying to keep the game close, but instead of escaping the fifth inning unscathed, Torkelson botched a ground ball directly at him to nix the chance at an inning-ending double play. The ball skipped underneath his legs, and following the mistake, the Minnesota Twins scored a pair of unearned runs.

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It was a costly error because the Tigers lost, 4-3, to the Twins on Saturday in the second of three games at Target Field. Torkelson, who entered the game worth minus-3 defensive runs saved, needed to do his part to keep the game within striking distance, but he fumbled the ball in the fifth inning.

HIM: Kerry Carpenter: The one Tiger locked in and raking all season

The Tigers (11-10), responsible for nine errors in the past four games, finished with five hits and three walks in the one-run loss.

The trouble on offense began with Twins right-hander Bailey Ober, who allowed one run on two hits and one walk across six innings. He retired the first 13 batters he faced before Matt Vierling’s single — hitting a fastball back up the middle — with one out in the fifth inning.

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Ober didn’t strike out any batters in his first time through the order, but he finished with six strikeouts.

The Tigers finally scored off Ober in the sixth inning, when Riley Greene drew a six-pitch walk with two outs. Rookie outfielder Wenceel Pérez cashed in with his second triple in as many days, smacking a two-strike fastball into the right-field corner. Another big hit from Pérez put the Tigers on the scoreboard, trailing 4-1.

Torkelson flew out to left field to strand Pérez at third base.

The Tigers struck again with one out in the seventh inning when Javier Báez ripped a two-strike curveball from right-handed reliever Cole Sands to left-center field for a double. Vierling, who singled, scored on the play to make it 4-2, but Buddy Kennedy, who pinch-hit for Colt Keith and drew a walk, was held up at third base. After Parker Meadows popped out, the Tigers had two runners in scoring position with two outs for pinch-hitter Mark Canha.

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Canha struck out swinging to strand the runners.

He chased an up-and-in fastball from Sands.

DOWN AND UP: Tigers put Gio Urshela on injured list (hamstring), recall Buddy Kennedy

Had Torkelson, worth minus-11 DRS last season, turned the double play in the fifth inning, the Tigers and Twins would have been tied, 2-2, after seven innings. Instead, the Tigers trailed by two runs, 4-2, after the seventh.

Kerry Carpenter cut the deficit to 4-3 with an RBI single in the eighth inning against left-handed reliever Kody Funderburk. It marked his first hit off a lefty pitcher in six plate appearances this season.

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But the Tigers couldn’t complete the comeback.

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

Reese Olson battles

Right-hander Reese Olson gave up four runs, but only two of them were earned runs. He allowed four runs (two earned runs) on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts across five innings, throwing 95 pitches.

The Twins scored the two earned runs in the second and third inning before Torkelson’s mishap in the fifth inning.

BAD NEWS: Tigers’ Sawyer Gipson-Long to undergo Tommy John surgery, miss rest of 2024 season

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In the second inning, Byron Buxton hit a leadoff double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. He scored on Willi Castro’s sacrifice fly to left field. Greene, the left fielder, made a diving catch toward the foul line, but Buxton had more than enough time to tag up and score for a 1-0 lead.

In the third inning, Austin Martin hit a leadoff double and advanced to third base on a groundout. He scored on Ryan Jeffers’ sacrifice fly to right field. The Twins took a 2-0 lead on their second of three sacrifice flies.

Olson threw 31 sliders, 22 fastballs, 19 changeups, 17 sinkers and six curveballs. He generated 13 whiffs (on 47 swings) with six sliders, two fastballs, four changeups and one sinker.

His fastball averaged 93.9 mph.

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After Olson, left-handed reliever Joey Wentz completed 1⅔ innings. Right-handed reliever Alex Lange finished the seventh inning, only to put runners on the corners with one out in the eighth inning. He stranded the runners with a strikeout and a flyout. On the flyout, Pérez took a bad route in right field and had to dive, but somehow, he got his glove on the ball.

Javier Báez’s defense

Báez delivered a key double in the seventh inning.

He also flashed the leather in the fourth to keep the Twins from scoring in that inning. Jose Miranda hit a fastball back up the middle, but Báez chased after it and made a diving stop with his glove.

Báez, who entered the game worth plus-2 DRS, flipped the ball — using only his glove — to Keith at second base. Keith received the ball, turned toward first base and fired the ball to Torkelson to complete the double play.

It was a one-of-a-kind play.

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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 Tigers Get To Avoid One Part of Free Agency This Offseason

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Detroit Tigers Get To Avoid One Part of Free Agency This Offseason


The Detroit Tigers have some interesting questions to answer in free agency, but none of them have to deal with players that have expiring contracts.

As Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report highlighted the top free agent that each MLB team needs to focus on re-signing, he pointed out that the Tigers have no one to bring back.

“Detroit literally has zero free agents. They traded both Jack Flaherty and Mark Canha—both of whom will be free agents this offseason—before going on a rather shocking run to the postseason,” said Kelly.

They decided to part ways with their expiring contracts at the deadline and focus on giving their young stars a chance to shine. And that is exactly what they did.

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Now, they can focus solely on who to add to the roster, rather than examining how important a departing free agent was to the success.

General manager Jeff Greenberg and company in the front office aren’t expected to open up their checkbooks too much in free agency, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be interested in signing anyone.

While Juan Soto is going to be a conversation that every team has, the Tigers get to see which players compliment their burgeoning stars rather than bringing in a face of the franchise for hundreds of millions of dollars.

While they don’t have anyone directly leaving from the roster, a reunion with a previously traded player may make sense.

Detroit sent Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline. It was a win-win deal that led to the Tigers acquiring some valuable prospects and the Dodgers got a pitcher that was at least solid down the stretch of the regular season to set up their World Series run.

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The problem with Flaherty’s future relationship with Los Angeles, was that he sort of crumbled once they got into the postseason.

He finished with a 7.36 ERA, giving up at least four runs twice and getting shelled for eight another time. While he didn’t ruin their chances to win, re-signing him won’t be too high of a priority.

Coming back to Detroit would make sense for Flaherty, as it seemed that he found something that worked for him. He posted a 2.95 ERA with 11.9 K/9 over 18 starts with the team.

The Tigers also clearly need more real starting pitching for a postseason run of its own. So a reunion of this type shouldn’t be ruled out of the equation.



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Detroit, MI

Trump speaks at campaign rally at Macomb Community College

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Trump speaks at campaign rally at Macomb Community College


Trump speaks at campaign rally at Macomb Community College – CBS Detroit

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Former President Donald Trump held a rally on Friday at Macomb Community College after meeting with Arab American voters in Dearborn.

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Detroit, MI

Predictions: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers

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Predictions: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers


Nolan Bianchi, John Niyo, Richard Silva and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News offer predictions for Sunday’s Lions-Packers game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin (4:25 p.m., Fox/97.1).

▶ Nolan Bianchi: It’s not just the NFC North lead on the line this weekend; the Lions are also trying to protect their standing as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Lambeau isn’t as scary as it once was. Case in point: Despite this being a matchup of two teams with six wins, the Lions are favorites despite this being their first outdoor game this season. The Lions should probably expect a slight regression in their recent offensive output (especially with some heavy rain in the forecast), but this offense was built to win in these conditions. Even with a battered and bruised defense, the Lions have been the definition of complementary football this season. I’m expecting them to find a win — be it by offense, defense, or special teams — when it counts. Pick: Lions, 23-20

▶ John Niyo: The Lions have won two in a row at Lambeau, including a cold-weather statement at the end of the 2022 season. But this will be their first outdoor game this season, and the rainy weather will be a factor. That shouldn’t be a huge problem for a Lions offense that’s built to win in the elements with a reliable — and explosive — run game. The Packers can run it, too, especially if it’s Malik Willis starting at quarterback for an injured Jordan Love. And there has been some slippage in the Lions’ run defense with all the injuries up front. Still, on a day where ball security may be the difference, the Lions probably have the edge. Green Bay and Detroit rank 1-2 in the NFL in takeaways, but the Lions have only committed five turnovers all season. Pick: Lions, 27-24

▶ Richard Silva: This is what it’s all about. Lambeau Field, divisional implications and a couple of historic franchises duking it out in November. In a contest where weather could be an issue — there’s rain in the forecast for Sunday — expect both teams to lean heavily on the run game. The Packers rank No. 5 in rush yards per game at 156.9, and the Lions aren’t too far behind at No. 6, with 156.7. Detroit does have a better run defense, however, which could make the difference. If Jared Goff continues to take care of the ball — he has a 12-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his last five games — the Lions should be in good shape. That won’t be easy, though, with Xavier McKinney and his NFL-high six interceptions roaming in the back end. Pick: Lions, 24-20

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▶ Bob Wojnowski: These trips to Green Bay keep getting bigger and bigger, and this one is for control of the NFC North. The Packers (6-2) technically need it more than the Lions (6-1), but that never slows Dan Campbell’s bunch. Green Bay has roughed up Jared Goff, at times, and the Lions’ staunch offensive line has been a little leaky, allowing four sacks against the Titans. That’s all the incentive Goff, Ben Johnson and the rest of the NFL’s best offense need. With Green Bay’s offensive line and quarterback situation (Jordan Love? Malik Willis?) jumbled by injuries, the Lions will focus on powerful back Josh Jacobs, and feature their own powerful backs. It doesn’t take much to inspire David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, and on the wet (but unfrozen) tundra of Lambeau Field, running is always the best option. If they protect the ball — and Kalif Raymond unleashes another 90-yard punt return! — the Lions will avenge last year’s Thanksgiving loss and stay firmly atop the NFC. Pick: Lions, 27-20



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