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Detroit Tigers flirt with combined no-hitter, then fall apart in 3-2 loss to Giants

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Detroit Tigers flirt with combined no-hitter, then fall apart in 3-2 loss to Giants


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The Detroit Tigers were nine outs away from completing a combined no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants.

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In another bullpen-only game, the Tigers retired 18 of the first 19 batters without allowing a hit in Friday’s opener of a three-game series at Oracle Park. The Giants, though, picked up their first hit on a leadoff single in the seventh inning, facing right-handed reliever Kenta Maeda.

The Tigers crumbled from there, losing 3-2.

“It happens fast,” manager A.J. Hinch told reporters in San Francisco. “Obviously, in close games, there’s a fine line between winning and losing, and it’s usually in the margins.”

The Giants scored one run apiece in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. In the ninth, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs against right-handed reliever Jason Foley. After that, Mark Canha — whom the Tigers traded to the Giants at the July 30 trade deadline — delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly against righty reliever Shelby Miller.

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The Tigers (55-62) have lost back-to-back games in walk-off fashion.

The ninth inning began with a fielding error by second baseman Colt Keith. He booted a ball up that middle that he should’ve easily fielded, allowing the go-ahead run to reach base. Foley imploded under pressure, as the next two batters reached safely with a walk and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases.

That’s when the Tigers called Miller out of the bullpen.

Miller induced a grounder that led to a force out at home plate for the first out in the ninth inning, but he failed to put away Canha after getting ahead in the count. Canha refused to chase and when he got a middle-middle fastball from Miller, he drove the ball to deep left field for a game-ending sacrifice fly.

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Fumbling the no-hit bid

The first hit for the Giants occurred when Tyler Fitzgerald attacked a two-strike fastball from Maeda. He redirected the ball up the middle and into center field for a ground-ball single.

After another single, Fitzgerald scored from third base on a sacrifice fly from Michael Conforto for the Giants’ first run of the game, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 2-1.

What happened in the eighth inning was eerily similar to what happened in the seventh, with another round of back-to-back singles before a sacrifice fly. This time, Canha delivered the leadoff single against Maeda. He came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Patrick Bailey, making it 2-2.

Right-handed reliever Beau Brieske, serving as the starter for the bullpen-only game, worked around a two-out walk in the first inning, but other than that mistake, he was perfect. He registered five strikeouts across three scoreless innings, throwing 49 pitches.

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Maeda, a 36-year-old veteran, covered the next 4⅔ innings, allowing two runs on four hits and zero walks with two strikeouts. He owns a 6.59 ERA in 21 games (16 starts), but he has improved significantly since getting reassigned to the bullpen.

Two runs

The Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning, facing left-hander Robbie Ray.

Gio Urshela ripped a double to left field and advanced to third base on a wild pitch when Ray walked Wenceel Pérez, then he scored on Ryan Vilade’s sacrifice fly.

The Tigers increased their lead to 2-0 when Javier Báez cranked a leadoff double, stole third base for his eighth steal of the season and scored easily on a throwing error by catcher Curt Casali.

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Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young winner, surrendered two runs on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts across six innings, throwing 105 pitches.

The Tigers finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

“We had plenty of opportunities,” Hinch said. “Part of the goal tonight against Ray was to make him work. Their bullpen was in a really tough spot, and we knew if we could get to them, they were going to have a hard time without the full use of their bullpen.”

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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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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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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