Latest news with #A.J. Hinch
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Struggling Detroit Tigers need to 'get our swagger back' amid rough stretch, mental lapses
PITTSBURGH — The Detroit Tigers have lost eight of their last nine games. The rough stretch for the Tigers reached a new low point in an 8-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, July 22, at PNC Park, with several mental mistakes on display. A struggling offense and a tired bullpen are responsible for most of the recent losses, but in this case, the Tigers looked sloppy for the first time in a long time. "We had a really bad mental game today," manager A.J. Hinch said after Tuesday's loss. "That's really rare for this team. We paid for it. They're just mistakes that we know we can fix, and we will fix. We will be better." COMING SOON: Kerry Carpenter injury update: Tigers slugger starts rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo Maybe it's trying to do too much. Maybe it's trying too hard to be perfect. "Maybe it's this stretch," said first baseman Spencer Torkelson, who made the worst mental mistake. "We don't want a game like this to happen with all these mess ups, but if it's going to happen, we're going to use it as a time to reset and refocus ourselves." The third inning told the story of the entire game. Oneil Cruz hit a rocket that should've been caught by center fielder Parker Meadows, but he lost the ball in the sun. Ke'Bryan Hayes followed with a chopper to third baseman Zach McKinstry, whose throw eluded an outstretched Torkelson at first base for a throwing error. As the ball rolled into foul territory and the runner advanced to third, Torkelson jogged after it without urgency. Cruz noticed the lack of effort and took advantage, sprinting home to score. "Everyone knows that was terrible," Torkelson said. "I just, mentally, didn't even look. He's aggressive, and I got to know that after that play, he's thinking I'm falling asleep, and I did." The mistake cost the Tigers one run. In the dugout, Torkelson apologized to his teammates and coaches. "He took the end of the play off," Hinch said. "He felt terrible. He just fell asleep. He was very accountable. He's not a guy that generally has those mistakes." The other mistakes in Tuesday's loss: Wenceel Pérez failed to touch home plate on what should've been a sacrifice fly. A strikeout by reliever Carlos Hernández skipped to the backstop and allowed the batter to reach safely, leading to a three-run inning. Catcher Jake Rogers tried to throw out a runner stealing third base, but the ball deflected off the batter's bat. It was the Tigers' worst performance in 102 games. "We are a much better team and a cleaner team than what we've shown," Hinch said. "We've been trending with some struggles that we know we can fix. We know we can be better. This group is confident, but we got to wear it while we're going through it. The reality is, we haven't played our best, and it's cost us." [ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] Every player who spoke to reporters after Tuesday's game didn't hesitate to take responsibility — no excuses — for the sloppiest game of this rough stretch. "I just look at myself," said right-hander Casey Mize, who allowed five runs (four earned runs) on 10 hits across four innings, as his ERA jumped from 2.63 to 3.40 in his last two starts. "I'm not getting them off the field quick enough and not setting the tone early and not giving us a chance to win. It's on me." "We're struggling," said Rogers, who hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning. "We just need to clean up the hustle. We're a hustle team, and we have fun. Once we get both those things back, we're going to hit the ground running." "We definitely lost some focus on those plays," said Torkelson, who had one single and two doubles, "and that's part of it, but if it's going to happen, it's a fine time to let it happen now and then refocus and ball out for the next 50-whatever games." There's no reason to hit the panic button. Not yet, at least. The Tigers (60-42) have the third-best record in MLB, trailing only the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. Not only do the Tigers have the American League's best record, but they're also better than the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros, among many others. A CF PROBLEM: Tigers' Parker Meadows 'trying to find a groove' as playing time decreases In the AL Central, the first-place Tigers on July 8 had a 14-game lead within the division. Two weeks later, that lead over the Cleveland Guardians is down to nine games — a five-game swing in the standings over nine games. "I'm just going to look at the long-term view: We're still leading the division by a ton, and we have 60 wins," Mize said. "That's probably more so who we are than the last 10 games or so. That's kind of how I view it." The Tigers were the first MLB team to achieve 60 wins, just like they were the first team to reach the 30, 40, 50 and 55-win milestones — doing so despite a 14-17 record since June 14 and a 1-8 record since July 9. The players expect to bounce back. "We could easily be the first team to 70 wins," Torkelson said. "We just got to get our swagger back. That comes with the refocus. We're a really good team. We just got to play like it." Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ or follow him @EvanPetzold. Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Tigers!' by the Free Press at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers expect to reset after mental lapses in loss vs Pirates
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Tigers will go as far as their pitching takes them in the second half
DETROIT — Hard to find the right perspective here, isn't it? It's easy to fixate on what's right in front of you. The Detroit Tigers enter the All-Star break on their first four-game losing streak of the season. The Seattle Mariners came to town and bopped and demolished the team with the best record in baseball. All-Star pitchers Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize were not immune. The Mariners scored 35 runs over three days and torched a bullpen that was already wobbling on the ropes. Advertisement Even before Sunday's loss — one in which the Mariners walloped Tommy Kahnle and came from behind to win — the Tigers had a concerning 5.03 bullpen ERA since June 1. So there is the immediate wreckage of a bad series, and there is a larger trend that had been foreshadowing a meltdown like this for more than a month. There's also the positive spin and zoomed-out reality. You can be disappointed in a series and proud of the season at the same time, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. The Tigers enter the break with 59 wins, exceeding even the loftiest expectations anyone could have reasonably drawn up for this team. After Sunday's loss, right-hander Jack Flaherty stood at his locker and listed the reasons for encouragement: the record, the standings, the fact that the Tigers have six All-Stars, the resurgence of Spencer Torkelson, the redemption of Javier Báez and more. 'If you were to tell us at the beginning of the season, I think we would be pretty happy about it,' Flaherty said. 😲 — Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 13, 2025 So we're here now talking about champagne problems. How can a team with an 11 1/2-game division lead get even better? These issues are high-class, but they're also real. The state of the team's pitching could ultimately determine just how much champagne the Tigers pop in October. The power of pitching still rules this game. The Tigers proved that last season, when they got all chaotic and patched together the best pitching staff in baseball over the final two months. They came from nowhere to make the playoffs and even took down the decorated Houston Astros on their home field. In the first half this season, the Tigers proved they don't need Alex Bregman or a lineup full of big-name boppers to play with the game's elite. More offense is always nice. The ability to change the scoreboard with one swing plays in the postseason — there is a reason each of the past five World Series champions has ranked in the league's top four in home runs. Advertisement But limiting those scoreboard changes matters, too. And especially when you're constructed like the Tigers, it would still be nice — maybe even critical — to recapture a dose of last season's pitching magic. Entering Sunday, Detroit's starters have a cumulative 3.42 ERA, staging quality outings even when injuries have tested their depth. Skubal is a force of nature, Mize is pitching the best baseball of his career, and even Flaherty has bounced back from a dismal stretch in June. But the Tigers need the best version of Reese Olson, who will start the first game after the break against the Texas Rangers, to emerge. Keider Montero, though still learning to pitch at this level, has delivered respectable performances. José Urquidy looms as an option to join the club in the second half. Prospects such as Troy Melton are beginning to bang on the door. There is a case for the Tigers to get aggressive and add a starter at the July 31 trade deadline. Health is never a given. As good as Skubal has been, and solid as Mize, Olson and Flaherty can be, a second formidable starter would be a postseason luxury. We also know the Tigers can get creative, lean into matchups and generate results in nontraditional ways. Whatever path they choose with the rotation, they badly need to bolster this bullpen. The team will surely seek real help at the deadline, perhaps pursuing at least one (and quite possibly more than one) veteran who can aid a bullpen that ranks 28th in strikeout rate and last in whiff rate. The Tigers, too, need to generate help from within. In Triple-A Toledo, right-hander Beau Brieske — a marvel down the stretch in last season's run — has underperformed and is on the injured list. Do-it-all left-hander Tyler Holton has been on the path to recapturing his form but did allow a run Sunday. Chase Lee, one of the wonders of the first half, enters the break after watching his ERA jolt from 2.05 to 3.69 over two poor outings. Kanhle and Will Vest have carried a heavy load, and the cracks have started to show. Advertisement So, in the second half, can the rotation stay healthy? Will anyone emerge as this year's Brieske? Can the Tigers find another gem such as Lee? Can they deal for a pitcher dominant enough to ease the leverage workload on Vest and Kanhle? Those are the questions that might well define whether this is a truly special season or one that will leave fans with a bittersweet taste. 'We still leave for the All-Star break proud of what we're doing,' Hinch said. 'Now, this last couple of games, we just got it handed to us. We get a couple days away, and regroup, reset and start all over.' (Photo of Tommy Kahnle: Duane Burleson / Getty Images)
