DETROIT — ”Please don’t ask me to explain that,” A.J. Hinch joked as he sat down for Sunday’s postgame press conference.
Indeed, this was a wild one. A lot of back and forth. A near catastrophic implosion. A bundle of managerial chess moves in rapid succession. Then a thrilling walk-off victory.
“Baseball is logical some days,” Hinch said. “Most of the days it’s more random than that.”
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Matt Vierling’s walk-off home run was the final blow in Sunday’s 14-11 Detroit Tigers victory against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was Vierling’s second homer of the day and a perfect reminder of the ups and downs this game evokes.
Now in his second year as a Tiger, Vierling remains a perfectly adequate player. He moves all around the field. He entered the day with a 99 wRC+, just 1 percent below league-average offensive production. But there’s always been the hope Vierling could be something a bit more — that he can lift the ball more often, drive the ball to the pull side with more consistency. Sunday he did it twice, the latter after check-swinging on a 2-2 slider that went for a ball. Vierling visibly reacted and psyched himself up for the full-count pitch. He got another slider down, a pitch he was sitting on. It left the bat at 105.9 mph and ended the game, the first walk-off home run of Vierling’s career.
“That’s something you always dream about as a kid,” Vierling said. “My brother and I in the backyard would always be doing situations like that, so it’s always cool when it actually happens.”
Just after a five-game losing skid threatened to tank the season, the Tigers have won three straight and are back near .500 at 26-27.
Bullpen woes
The narratives would have been different had Vierling’s home run not left the yard. They might have been different, too, had Danny Jansen’s 370-foot flyout off Mason Englert traveled just a couple of feet farther. Instead, the ball was caught at the wall, the game remained tied and the Tigers were able to win it in the ninth.
But the truth is Sunday’s game should never have been so close. The Tigers lead 5-0 in the third inning. Even after Casey Mize’s inability to put away hitters finally came back to bite him, the Tigers led 8-3 in the fifth. But long story short: Joey Wentz was charged with two runs as old command issues have resurfaced. His revamped fastball is no longer playing. He can’t spot his secondary pitches reliably. Tyler Holton, who earned a clutch save Saturday, was tagged for three runs. Jason Foley, his fastball velocity down to as low as 94.3 mph, threw a horrible 0-2 pitch that resulted in a three-run Daulton Varsho homer that nearly cost Detroit the game. All those failures led to Englert, recalled only a few days ago, who pitched a wobbly ninth.
Not what you want on 0-2 pic.twitter.com/ur3gUYxo48
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) May 26, 2024
For as much blame as the offense gets, the Tigers’ bullpen has been the team’s chief issue as of late. Even before Sunday’s struggles, the Tigers entered Sunday with a 5.17 ERA in May, good for 26th in all MLB. Once beneficiaries of good BABIP luck, hits are falling for opponents this month at a .327 clip.
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Worse, with Alex Lange optioned to Toledo after recurring command woes, the Tigers have few relievers capable of generating swing-and-miss in big situations. Tigers relievers rank 26th this season with only 8.11 K/9. That fact is even more concerning given the Detroit bullpen has a 12.6 percent swinging-strike rate, the second-best in the game. The Tigers are getting to two strikes but failing to put hitters away. Detroit pitchers struck out only two Blue Jays hitters all day, including no Ks from Mize.
With pitching depth in Toledo thinned out quickly, the Tigers need their bullpen to bounce back before it becomes this team’s undoing.
Kerry Carpenter, great fielder?
A big positive from the past week: Kerry Carpenter.
The Tigers outfielder continues to eclipse Spencer Torkelson and could rival Riley Greene as the best young hitter to come from the Tigers’ rebuild. Carpenter entered Sunday with a 154 wRC+ after homering in back-to-back days. Carpenter’s ability to hit right-handed pitching is no secret, though he is just 1-for-16 against left-handers this year and hits only .206 against lefties in his MLB career.
These days, though, Carpenter is getting attention for more than just his bat. Not long ago viewed as a minus defender, Carpenter’s work to improve his defense is paying off. It was highlighted Friday when he threw a 90 mph strike to home plate to nail Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
What a throw from Kerry Carpenter! Nice tag from Carson Kelly as well!pic.twitter.com/WboIgW0iyQ
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) May 24, 2024
Carpenter has always had arm strength — he ranks in MLB’s 82nd percentile — but his routes and reads on fly balls have also improved.
He is not perfect and may never be a Gold Glover. But it’s hard to ignore the data. Carpenter currently grades out at plus-2 defensive runs saved in right field.
“He has been the most outspoken about wanting to be an outfielder and not wanting to be a mid-20s DH and not wanting to be known just for his bat,” Hinch said. “He wants to contribute on both sides of the ball. By his play, he’s really forced me to keep him in the outfield and DH Mark (Canha) or Riley, because I like the look. I like his actions in the outfield now more than ever.”
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Just a little ‘stitious
For those who do not believe in superstitions, consider this: Through nine starts, Reese Olson had a 2.16 ERA but an 0-5 record.
Even in an era where it’s understood a pitcher controls only so much of his win-loss record, the fact still spoke to an uncanny lack of run support and downright bad luck.
That luck finally changed Saturday, when Olson threw another gem over eight scoreless innings and the Tigers emerged with a 2-1 victory. Olson improved to 1-5.
The Tigers just happened to be wearing their City Connect uniforms. The Tigers were originally scheduled to wear the City Connects for Friday home games. But after Friday night’s victory snapped a brutal five-game losing streak, players voted to wear them again Saturday and Sunday.
The Tigers are off Monday, but Tuesday, you can bet they’ll be wearing them again.
“We’re gonna keep the mojo going,” Hinch said.
(Photo of Matt Vierling: Duane Burleson / Getty Images)