The Tigers blew a 4-2 lead on June 15, losing 8-4 to the Reds after a disastrous 8th inning. Will Vest took the loss and an injury. Recap the collapse.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a game the Detroit Tigers had locked down. Cruising with a 4-2 lead heading into the eighth inning, the Comerica Park faithful were ready to celebrate a series win. Instead, they witnessed a complete meltdown, a catastrophic inning fueled by defensive miscues that led to five unearned runs and a stunning 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Three errors and five unearned runs in the eighth inning turned a comfortable 4-2 lead into a stunning 8-4 defeat.
What looked like a routine Sunday win turned into a nightmare in the top of the eighth. The inning unraveled with a series of defensive blunders that will haunt the team. A costly misplay by Brant Hurter and a subsequent throwing error by Sawyer Gipson-Long opened the floodgates, allowing the Reds to pile on five unearned runs. Closer Will Vest (5-1) was charged with four of those runs, all unearned, saddling him with his first loss of the season in the most frustrating way possible. It was a brutal reminder that in baseball, you have to play all 27 outs.
To make a terrible situation worse, closer Will Vest exited the game with a possible injury. After uncorking a wild pitch during the chaotic eighth inning, Vest appeared to be in discomfort, forcing manager A.J. Hinch to make a change. The team has yet to disclose the nature or severity of the injury, but losing the anchor of the bullpen for any amount of time would be a significant blow. The health of Vest is now the team's most pressing concern moving forward.
Despite the gut-wrenching loss, there were a few bright spots. Riley Greene continues to be a force at the plate, extending his June hot streak. Since the start of the month, Greene is slashing an impressive .308/.368/.462, providing consistent production from the heart of the order. Jahmai Jones also chipped in with a home run, but it wasn't enough to overcome the late-game collapse and the Reds' own star, Elly De La Cruz, who tormented the Tigers with three hits and a back-breaking two-run homer in the ninth.
There's no time to dwell on this loss. The Tigers will get a day off Monday before welcoming the Pittsburgh Pirates to Comerica Park for a three-game series starting Tuesday. Detroit will send one of its aces, Casey Mize (6-2, 2.95 ERA), to the mound for the opener. He'll face off against Pirates lefty Bailey Falter (5-3, 3.36 ERA) in what should be a solid pitching matchup. It's a perfect opportunity for the team to wash away the bad taste of Sunday's defeat and get back in the win column.
This one stings, no doubt about it. A winnable game slipped through the Tigers' fingers due to self-inflicted wounds. While the 46-25 record still looks great, the focus now shifts to two critical questions: How serious is Will Vest's injury, and can the team clean up the defense and bounce back against the Pirates? All eyes will be on Casey Mize on Tuesday to set a new, more positive tone for the week.
