The Detroit Tigers saw their losing streak against Cleveland extend to 11 games on Wednesday, as they dropped a 6-3 decision at Progressive Field. The Tigers are just 1-12 against their AL Central rivals this season.
Tigers lefthander Matthew Boyd has struggled with the home run ball at times in 2019, and those issues were present again on Wednesday. Outfielder Jordan Luplow took Boyd deep in the bottom of the first, giving his club a 2-0 lead. Frustratingly, the homer came on an 0-2 fastball that Boyd didn’t quite get high enough above the strike zone to avoid the barrel of Luplow’s bat.
Fortunately, the Tigers offense was up to the task of digging Boyd out of his early hole. They pulled a run back in the top of the second when Niko Goodrum hit a solo home run just over the right field wall. Harold Castro followed in the third with a two-run homer to center field, the second of his career. This put the Tigers up 3-2 after three frames.
Harold & Castro go to right center.#MotorOn pic.twitter.com/rFz4cSYDSp
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 18, 2019
Unfortunately, Detroit’s offense wouldn’t manage much more after that. Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer retired nine Tigers hitters in a row after Castro’s home run, and found his way out of a self-created jam in the sixth. Meanwhile, a pair of Cleveland hits and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jason Kipnis tied the score in the fifth. Jose Ramirez gave his club the lead for good in the sixth when he hit a towering two-run homer off Boyd, capping off a two-out mini-rally.
The Tigers made things a bit interesting in the later innings. They put multiple runners on base in both the seventh and eighth, but could not capitalize. Nicholas Castellanos’ double play ball in the eighth was particularly harmful, as it wasted a two-on, no-out situation that could have brought the Tigers back into the game. Trevor Rosenthal gave up an unearned run and two walks in the eighth to provide the final margin of victory.
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With their latest defeat, the Tigers are now 29-63, just 1 1⁄2 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for the worst record in baseball.