Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers’ Jack Flaherty likes ‘shapes’ of pitches in 7-3 loss to Pittsburgh Pirates
Major League Baseball Players Association visits Detroit Tigers
Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark talks to reporters March 2, 2024, about several topics in Lakeland, Florida.
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-3, on Saturday at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Detroit is 4-4-1 in Grapefruit League play.
What happened
Right-hander Jack Flaherty completed his second start of spring training, throwing 21 pitches.
Flaherty, who threw 13 of those pitches for strikes, maintained his 95 mph four-seam fastball velocity across two innings. More importantly, he executed his fastball, which generated two of his four whiffs and all three of his called strikes.
“I haven’t really tried to pay attention to the velocity,” Flaherty said. “I’m really going off reactions (from hitters), and they came out swinging, so I was able to throw a couple by guys. The shapes are playing. It’s just about execution.”
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The Tigers had a 2-1 lead before the Pirates scored five runs in the fifth inning, making it 6-2. Three runs were charged to right-handed reliever Jason Foley; two runs were charged to left-handed reliever Andrew Magno.
Andy Ibáñez cut the Tigers’ deficit to 6-3 with a solo home run in the fifth inning, driving right-handed reliever Brent Honeywell’s 93.9 mph fastball below the strike zone over the wall in left-center field.
It was Ibáñez’s second homer in spring training.
The Tigers finished with two hits, 11 walks and 10 strikeouts.
Starting off
The only damage against Flaherty was a solo home run from Pirates catcher Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft. Davis, who has two homers this spring, crushed the ball 419 feet to left field with a 108.7 mph exit velocity.
It was on a middle-down slider.
“The first one was a really, really good one, and he chased it,” Flaherty said of his two sliders to Davis. “The next one has got to be the same, and it just wasn’t as good. Make a mistake, he’s a good hitter, and he put a good swing on it.”
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Flaherty walked Canaan Smith-Njigba on five pitches with one out in the second inning, but he responded by getting Nick Gonzales to ground into an inning-ending double play.
He threw 11 fastballs, four sliders, two sinkers, two curveballs and two changeups. His fastball velocity averaged 95.2 mph, up from his 93.1 mph average last season.
“I was able to put it on the outside corner pretty repeatedly to lefties,” Flaherty said of his fastball. “Being able to execute that usually is a pretty good recipe for things, but you just build off things and go off what the hitters will tell you.”
At the plate
The Tigers drew five walks in a row with two outs in the fourth inning.
Right-handed reliever Colin Holderman, who struck out Ibáñez and Bligh Madris to begin the inning, walked Justice Bigbie on five pitches, Carson Kelly on four pitches and Parker Meadows on five pitches. The Pirates replaced Holderman with left-handed reliever Brady Feigl, but a new pitcher didn’t change the results. Feigl walked Zach McKinstry on six pitches and Riley Greene on six pitches.
The Tigers took a 2-1 lead with the walks from McKinstry and Greene, both with the bases loaded. Spencer Torkelson, though, struck out swinging on a 94.6 mph fastball at the bottom of the strike zone to strand the bases loaded.
In the sixth inning, Eliezer Alfonzo grounded into an inning-ending double play after back-to-back walks from Wenceel Pérez and Gage Workman. Pérez, by the way, made a beautiful running catch in the right-center gap for the first out in the seventh inning.
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McKinstry finished with three walks in three plate appearances.
On the mound
After Flaherty, left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin retired all three batters he faced in the third inning. He struck out Jake Lamb (swinging strike, 82.9 mph slider) and Williams (swinging strike, 82.7 mph slider) for the first two outs.
Right-handed reliever Shelby Miller had the same success in the fourth inning: three up, three down. He struck out Jack Suwinski swinging with an up-and-in 94.5 mph fastball.
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The Tigers’ relievers imploded in the fifth inning, surrendering five runs, but settled down across the final four innings. Right-hander Beau Brieske covered the sixth and seventh innings without allowing a run, while right-hander Miguel Díaz did the same in the eighth inning.
Left-hander Sean Guenther gave up a 421-foot solo home run to Matt Gorski in the ninth inning.
Three stars
1. McKinstry, 2. Chafin, 3. Flaherty.
Next up
Sunday (1:05 p.m.) vs. New York Yankees in Lakeland.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Detroit, MI
Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know
How to anonymously submit a tip to Crime Stoppers of Michigan
Here are the three ways to submit a tip to Crime Stoppers of Michigan safely and anonymously: by phone, online, and through the P3 Tips mobile app.
Mourning continued and no suspects were in custody a week after the fatal shooting of Detroit restaurateur and nightlife figure Mikey “Mike B” Brown at the end of February.
Brown was the beloved figure behind the “Sloppy” brand of restaurants, and remembrances have been rolling in online since his death.
Here’s what to know:
Shooting outside cocktail bar
“Mike B” Brown, 51, and two others were shot about 4:30 a.m. Feb. 28 in the area of 15789 Schaefer, police previously said.
The two others were found in front of the location, and Brown was found across the street, police said.
Police have asked those with information on the shooting to come forward.
There were no suspects in custody and no further updates in the case as of Monday, March 9, according to a statement from the Detroit Police Department.
Updates on the conditions of the two other individuals shot were also not provided.
Who was Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?
Brown was a husband, a father of five and a restaurateur.
He opened Sloppy Chops Restaurant, a steakhouse, in 2020 on West McNichols off the Lodge Freeway and later opened a seafood restaurant called Sloppy Crab, which was renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. Brown previously had two clubs, as well.
His downtown dining spot served as an answer to questions on offerings for Black diners in the city’s renaissance. His other “Sloppy” location showcased successful reach beyond downtown and into the city’s neighborhoods. Brown was also a cultural figure in not only the world of dining, but in the nightlife, the Free Press reported.
When are funeral services for Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?
A family hour was set for 9 a.m. March 13 and a funeral was set for 10 a.m. March 13, both at Triumph Church –North Campus at 15600 J.L. Hudson Drive in Southfield.
What’s been the fallout since Mike ‘Mike B’ Brown’s death?
Outside of the community hurt, there’s also been calls for a crackdown on establishments that stay open into early morning hours in residential areas, ClickOnDetroit reports.
How to report tips on Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown’s shooting
Those with information tied to the triple shooting can contact the Detroit Police Department’s homicide unit at 313-596-2260 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up or DetroitRewards.tv.
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions need backup QB as Kyle Allen to sign with Bills
Former Detroit Lions QB Hendon Hooker reflects on his time in Detroit
Former Lions QB Hendon Hooker joins to discuss his time in Detroit and Amon-Ra St. Brown’s skill on the basketball court.
The Detroit Lions will need to find a new backup quarterback. Kyle Allen, the 30-year-old ninth-year veteran, will reportedly sign with the Buffalo Bills for two years and $4.1 millions, according to ESPN, reuniting him with his former coordinator Joe Brady.
Allen, who came to the Motor City a year ago after inking a one-year deal, appeared in just three games and attempted two passes this past season as starter Jared Goff logged 98.5% of the team’s offensive snaps at quarterback.
Allen’s greatest contribution came in the preseason, when he forced the organization to give up on its experiment with Hendon Hooker.
In the competition for the No. 2 job, Allen outperformed Hooker and made the former 2023 third-round pick expendable by bringing his stunted development into sharp relief. While Hooker struggled to move the offense when he was in command, Allen thrived in his four auditions, spearheading one productive drive after another for the Lions. He completed 79.5% of his attempts, throwing for 401 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. All the while, he exhibited a good understanding of the Lions’ timing-based passing game, giving management the confidence he could – if needed – relieve Goff in a pinch.
“I feel very comfortable with him,” Campbell said last August.
But as it turned out, the Lions were never forced to call upon Allen. Goff, who hasn’t missed a start since Week 17 of the 2021 season, remained reliably present.
The Lions hope Goff’s iron-man streak will continue.
But if it for some reason ends, Allen is no longer there to replace him.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
Detroit, MI
Detroit water main break snarls travel on East Jefferson Monday morning
Vehicles travel through water collected near water main break in Detroit.
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A water main break in Detroit is causing headaches for drivers and sending water into the streets of one of the city’s east side neighborhoods.
The break involves a 42-inch pipeline at East Jefferson and Burns Drive.
The breakage happened on Sunday, leaving only one lane open for each direction of travel.
Local perspective:
A day after the breakage, water was still gathering on the road of Jefferson Avenue.
Video captured of the scene Monday morning showed vehicles driving through ponds of water. Construction equipment were on site along with traffic cones.
The backstory:
This isn’t the only major disruption to water services in the region.
This weekend, a catastrophic breakage at 14 Mile near Drake impacted several Oakland County communities and thousands of residents.
Novi and Walled Lake were among those hardest hit by the breakage, which included dramatic scenes of waves of water washing down the road, submerging vehicles.
The Source: FOX 2’s Charlie Langton and previous reporting were cited for this story.
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