The Detroit Tigers dropped game one of their three game series against the Minnesota Twins as they could not take enough advantage of wildness from the Twins’s starter and their bullpen could not hold the lead in the seventh inning. Oh and Miguel Cabrera injured his left arm again, an umpire stole a ball away from a fan, and ex-Tigers Fernando Rodney shot the Rally Goose from the sky. And after it was all over the Tigers announced Miguel Cabrera will undergo season ending surgery. How was your evening? Hopefully better than the one experienced by the Tigers and their fans.
Yep it was just a pretty tough night for Tigers fans. The Twins took an early 1-0 lead in the third, and then in the bottom of the third, while swinging in his at bat, Miguel Cabrera suddenly dropped the bat, grabbed at his left elbow, and walked straight into the Tigers locker room with the trainer. As Tiger fans were holding their breath for good news on their franchise first baseman, the Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 2 - 1 lead, and were driving up the pitch count of a very wild Jake Odorizzi.
Miguel Cabrera injured swinging, immediately left game. @tigers #tigers pic.twitter.com/dyVSINwIk3
— George Sipple (@GeorgeSipple) June 13, 2018
On the plus side, Blaine Hardy was really good again. Hardy would hold the Twins to one run over six innings but when the leadoff hitter reached in the seventh, Ron Gardenhire made the move to go to Louis Coleman. But, Coleman was not his sharp self tonight and ended up loading the bases with two outs and prompting another bullpen move. Concerned about his key setup man’s workload (Joe Jimenez), Gardenhire passed on giving him four outs, and instead turned the ball over to Warwick Saupold. Saupold, was then rudely greeted with a grand slam by something called an Ehire Adrianza. Joe Jimenez’ workload is in better shape because he got the night off instead.
The Tigers would call upon their avian overlord in the bottom of the seventh when a couple of errors produced a run and had the Tigers threatening to tie or retake the lead. But the inning would end on an Jose Iglesias strikeout, and Saupold and Alex Wilson would team up in a bad way to allow the Twins to regain their two run lead in the top of the eighth. The Twins bullpen would shut down the Tigers in their final two innings capped off by Fernando Rodney launching his signature arrow at the Tigers’ scoreboard in left field, presumably taking down the goose hiding above the signage.
Odd moment of the game.
Ump just took the ball from the fan and chucked it! #tigers pic.twitter.com/DJzJMLj9F9
— Evan Jankens (@KINGoftheKC) June 13, 2018
I’m not sure what the whole reasoning is here, and those protective nets are pretty tall, but its a bad look for umpire Mike Winters.
Player of the game
Poll
Who is the Tigers Player of the game?
This poll is closed
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97%
Blaine Hardy: 6IP, 2R, 3H, 1BB, 5K
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1%
Jose Iglesias: 2-4, 1R, 1RBI, 3B, 1K
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1%
John Hicks: 1-3, 1R, 1BB, 1K