Rays 1, Tigers 0: The Tigers struck out 24 times and still almost won

The Detroit Tigers struck out 24 times against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, becoming just the 11th team in MLB history to strike out that many times in a single game. They lost, as you might expect, but it took 13 innings to do so. Rays pinch hitter Michael Brosseau — sure, that guy — hit a two-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th to score the game’s only run, delivering a 1-0 victory for the likely-playoff-bound Rays.

Unfortunately, striking out 24 times in a single game doesn’t make for a very interesting recap. Dawel Lugo reached base twice in the first four innings, while John Hicks and Niko Goodrum doubled in the fifth and seventh, respectively.

That was it.

The Tigers collected just three hits on the evening, and did not walk at all (Lugo was hit by a pitch in the first inning). They went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and spent most of the game walking slowly back to the dugout.

Luckily, their pitching staff was up to the challenge. Jordan Zimmermann limited the Rays to just one hit across five scoreless innings in his return from the injured list, needing just 63 pitches to do so. The bullpen ran into a bit more resistance, stranding seven baserunners across seven innings leading up to the decisive 13th. Gregory Soto induced an Austin Meadows flyout with two on in the sixth, and then worked out of a self-made jam in the seventh to keep the game scoreless.

Newcomer David McKay ran into a bit more trouble in extra innings, his second outing with the Tigers since being claimed off waivers. He walked Mike Zunino to lead off the 11th, then gave up a single to Eric Sogard. After Tommy Pham advanced both runners on a groundout, Meadows was intentionally walked to load the bases. Fortunately, McKay generated a double play ball off the bat of Travid d’Arnaud, ending the inning.

Lefthander Matt Hall got the ball for the 13th, and seemed poised to send the game to the 14th. He forced easy groundouts from Willy Adames and Guillermo Heredia, but gave up a two-out double to Sogard. After Pham was intentionally walked, Brousseau lined a 2-2 fastball into center to score Sogard and deliver the win.