Detroit Tigers give up lead late after great Reese Olson outing in 2-1 loss to Blue Jays
TORONTO — Sometimes, usually after a loss, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch likes to look at win-probability stats.
It's a way to beat himself up while replaying the game in his head, studying the numbers, as he agonizes over different decisions.
Advertisement
And this 2-1 loss was particularly agonizing.
The Tigers had a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning on May 17 against the Toronto Blue Jays, giving them a 77% chance of winning, according to an ESPN calculation.
Then?
Well. It became agonizing.
How?
Detroit Tigers pitcher Reese Olson (45) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Will Vest gave up an RBI single in the eighth inning, as the Blue Jays tied the game, 1-1.
Then, Hinch turned to Brennan Hanifee to pitch in the ninth inning. Vladirmire Guerrero Jr. hit a grounder to second base. Colt Keith ranged far to his left, scooped up the ball and threw him out with no problem.
Up came Daulton Varsho, who doubled into right field.
Hanifee got George Springer to ground out, as Varsho went to third. Hinch intentionally walked Anthony Santander to get to Ernie Clement, who singled to right for the win.
Advertisement
All that blew a great pitching performance by Reese Olson. On "Barbie Day" at Rogers Centre, of all days.
SECRET OF REESE OLSON: That blank baby face with rosy cheeks hides a burning desire
An order of Reese's pieces, please
Olson was simply magnificent against the Blue Jays. He gave up just one hit over six scoreless innings, recording six strikeouts while walking just one.
Was it his best performance? It depends how you measure it. It was the fourth time he has held a team scoreless.
He has lasted longer in a game — he pitched 7⅓ innings against San Diego on April 23. He has recorded more strikeouts three times this season. And it was the third time that he had walked just one.
Advertisement
But make no mistake, he was simply dominant, and it was far better than his last outing, May 11 when he lasted just four innings and gave up three runs to Texas.
MORE SEIDEL: Chet Lemon did more off the field than he ever did for the Detroit Tigers
Tork on the big screen
Detroit Tigers first base Spencer Torkelson (20) celebrates hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Celebrate the Tigers with our new book!
In the second inning, Spencer Torkelson's at-bat against Eric Lauer was fascinating.
Torkelson took a curve for a strike. Then, Torkelson pounced on a changeup, drilling it into left center, taking over the team lead with his 12th homer of the season.
For the record, Riley Greene jacked his 11th homer the night before.
Advertisement
These two are like a buddy movie on their own: Anything you can do, I can do better.
The Tigers are only one of five teams in baseball with two players already at 11 or more homers, joining the New York Yankees (Aaron Judge/Trent Grisham), Arizona Diamondbacks (Corbin Carroll/Eugenio Suarez), Boston Red Sox (Alex Bregman/Wilyer Abreu) and Chicago Cubs (Pete Crow-Armstrong/Seiya Suzuki).
The old plot twist
It got stressful for the Tigers in the seventh inning.
After the Blue Jays put two runners on with one out against Beau Brieske, Hinch turned to Tyler Holton to face Myles Straw. Holton threw one pitch — an 89 mph cutter — to get Straw to ground into a double play to end the threat.
Advertisement
JAVY MAGIC: Javier Báez continues to make magical moments for Detroit Tigers
Trying for the sequel
Holton was still fresh, so Hinch used him in the eighth.
But Holton got into a jam. After Holton walked Clement, the Blue Jays bunted him to second. The Blue Jays brought in pinch-hitter Alejandro Kirk, so Hinch countered with right-hander Will Vest. But Kirk tied up the game with an RBI single to right. Then Vest got out of the jam by getting Bo Bichette to ground out.
In the ninth inning, the game was tied, 1-1.
Gleyber Torres walked on four straight pitches. Greene flew out to left field and Torres was called out trying to advance to second.
Advertisement
The Blue Jays took care of business in the ninth with Clement's walk-off RBI.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!' by the Free Press at Tigers125.PictorialBook.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers score: Reese Olson dominant, but Blue Jays rally late
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
9 minutes ago
- Fox News
Tyler Adams says USMNT not concerned with 'outside noise' from former players
Tyler Adams says the U.S. soccer team has tuned out criticism from former players. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, who share the American goals record with 57 each, are among those who have been critical of current regulars not in the struggling roster preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. "We don't talk about that internally as a group," Adams said Wednesday during a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. "The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build." [RELATED: Landon Donovan, Christian Pulisic, and the drama over USMNT stars not playing] Star Christian Pulisic is skipping the June camp and Gold Cup to rest after playing about 120 games for club and country over two seasons. "Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa (America), whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup, I wasn't going to miss competitions," Dempsey said last week on the "Men in Blazers" podcast. "For me, I don't understand it because that wasn't my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games." Watching Portugal celebrate its win over Spain in Sunday's European Nations League final, Donovan said on the Fox postgame show: "I can't help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup." Pulisic has not spoken publicly of his decision. The U.S. has lost four straight games, its longest skid since 2007, following a 4-0 rout Tuesday night by Switzerland. "This is part of the process," Adams said. "You're going to win games. You're going to lose games. It's about continuing to build that. I think we're on the right path. We have to continue to build and try the things that we've been training. It'll take a little bit of time, but it will come together." Adams didn't dress for the Switzerland friendly but is confident he will be ready for the Gold Cup, where the Americans open Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. "A little turf toe-type injury. More of an overuse thing probably than anything — overload. It was something that I picked up when I came into camp," Adams said. "Progressing well right now, but just trying to be smart and manage it." Adams, who captained the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, funded a pair of mini-pitches at Pulaski Park in Poughkeepsie, New York, near his home in Wappinger. He spoke on the Zoom about his work with Allstate, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Black Star Soccer to construct fields about the size of basketball courts at the Fisher Magnet Upper Academy in Detroit and The Bell Avenue School in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. "Before the World Cup hopefully we plan to do one more with a city unnamed yet," Adams said. "It's something that I think has real impact, continues to grow the sport, serves underserved communities." [RELATED: Projecting the USMNT's World Cup squad: Luna over Reyna? Turner starts at GK?] Now 26, Adams is feeling back to his old self. He had back surgery last July with Dr. Robert Watkins and returned to the field with England's Bournemouth on Oct. 26. Adams played in 28 Premier League matches this season after being limited to three in 2023-24 because of leg injuries. "It's definitely enjoyable when you're healthy," he said. "The 16-to-18 months that it was just on and off inconsistency is something I never had in my career and never had to battle. And then when it hits you and you go through that, you just learn different ways to navigate things, enjoy life, just not take things for granted, all the little things." Since Mauricio Pochettino took over as U.S. coach last fall, players have had more autonomy to break away from rigid positioning employed by his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter. "From a positional standpoint, obviously we had probably a little bit of a different structure under Gregg," Adams said. "Maurizio gives the players freedom to find spots they're comfortable in and see how they can affect the game in different ways. I think our attacking players definitely have freedom to try and find the ball and create things in the right areas of the field. So, yeah, I think he gives everyone freedom, but there's still structure to the way that we want to play." Adams will be with the U.S. team in Austin, Texas, next Wednesday, and following intently when the Premier League releases its 2025-26 schedule at 3 a.m. CDT. He feels improved because of his time with Leeds in 2022-23 and Bournemouth the past two seasons. "After you play in the Premier League, every game feels slow,'" he said. "No matter what game I play in now the game feels slow. You look at your schedule when the season comes out and you have to play in a row Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool, Manchester United, all these big games back to back to back you just learn how to make decisions quicker and if you don't, you get punished." Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox News
20 minutes ago
- Fox News
2025 NASCAR odds: Shane van Gisbergen opens as favorite for Mexico
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Mexico this weekend for the Viva Mexico 250. And when it comes to the odds, bettors can dive into that action and place wagers on which driver they think has what it takes to win outright. Last week at Michigan, Denny Hamlin closed as the favorite at +550 and ultimately, the driver of the No. 11 car got into victory lane. This week, Shane van Gisbergen has opened as the clear favorite at +330, while Mexican-born Daniel Suarez sits at +1400. Who takes the checkered flag this weekend as the Cup Series races in Mexico for the very first time? Here are the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of June 11. Shane van Gisbergen: +330 (bet $10 to win $43 total)Christopher Bell: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)William Byron: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)Tyler Reddick: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)Kyle Larson: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)Chase Elliott: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)AJ Allmendinger: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)Daniel Suarez: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)Kyle Busch: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)Chris Buescher: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total) Ross Chastain: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)Michael McDowell: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)Alex Bowman: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)Carson Hocevar: +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)Chase Briscoe: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Ty Gibbs: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Austin Cindric: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)Denny Hamlin: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)Ryan Blaney: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)Joey Logano: +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total)Bubba Wallace: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)Brad Keselowski: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)Todd Gilliland: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)Justin Haley: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)Austin Dillon: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)Ryan Preece: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)Noah Gragson: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)Cole Custer: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)Zane Smith: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)Josh Berry: +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)Erik Jones: +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)Riley Herbst: +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)John Hunter Nemechek: +40000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: +40000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)Cody Ware: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)Ty Dillon: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)Katherine Legge: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total) Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Fox News
20 minutes ago
- Fox News
NASCAR race in Mexico City worth extra effort to grow the sport
Sometimes it takes a heavy lift to move the needle. And that's exactly what this weekend's NASCAR race at Mexico will be. A heavy lift. That moves the needle. The Cup Series races in Mexico City this weekend, and that is awesome. Yes, there certainly is a group of the NASCAR fan base and the industry as a whole that doesn't believe NASCAR should race in Mexico City. It is a long and arduous process to move race haulers across the border and deep into the country. The United States-Mexico relations are not at their friendliest, especially in light of the protests in Los Angeles. And there are tracks in the United States that want races. So why go battle those logistical and political challenges to race in Mexico City? The growth of the sport depends on it. Going to a city with more than 20 million people exposes the sport to people who might have never seen it in person. It provides exposure at the highest level and megastars of the sport in a country where NASCAR already has a regional series. It shows sponsors and those interested in investing in the sport that NASCAR is willing to take it globally, increasing the pool of potential sponsors and drivers. Increasing the dollars and potential talent in the sport. Racing at Mexico City will be an event, much like racing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum or the streets of Chicago. Are there security concerns? Sure. Just as there were when NASCAR raced in Chicago and other places. For context, an off-duty cop was shot in an attempted robbery of the Kansas Speedway vault in 2006. Are there other tracks in the United States where NASCAR could race? Sure. But the tracks that could grow the sport to a new fan base are few and far between. The ones that could generate excitement among the NASCAR faithful — think Bowman-Gray and Rockingham — both held races this year. Albeit, those races were the exhibition clash at Bowman-Gray and an Xfinity-truck doubleheader at Rockingham. Are there some sponsors where racing in Mexico doesn't reach their customer? Sure, at least if they don't do business in Mexico. But part of racing in Mexico is about generating excitement about Mexicans who live in the United States for the NASCAR product. That should also increase the exposure of current sponsors. Are there logistical hurdles? Sure. Hauler manifests are complicated. NASCAR is chartering planes to fly much of the industry as a whole in order to make sure all the teams get there with no safety or logistical issues. So that sounds a lot for a NASCAR race. And it is. But sometimes it takes a heavy lift to move the needle. Many of the same concerns were talked about around the Chicago race and so far, those have been relatively smooth — except for the weather. I went to the NASCAR Xfinity races in Mexico from 2005 through 2008. They were fun. I loved going to the country and experiencing the culture. I also enjoy a trip to Watkins Glen or the Darlington area or Las Vegas. They are all different and all have unique aspects that fans can appreciate. Same with Mexico City. For those who love NASCAR and contend that it has the best racing in the world, then what better way to prove that than taking it across the border? What better way to expose the drivers? A Netflix Series won't work for everyone, and seeing the real thing on someone's home soil can potentially do wonders. Speaking of that, this puts NASCAR at the same venue as Formula 1. Hopefully INDYCAR goes there next year, too. So for all those who want to spew insults about our neighbors and want to hate, go ahead. There's nothing stopping you. But sometimes you have to do something out of the comfort zone — out of the norm — to grow the sport. This is one of those times. Will it work? There's never a guarantee. But it's certainly worth the effort to try. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
