DETROIT, Mich. — The Detroit Tigers (7-12) continue to let the little things get in the way of success. Individually, many Tigers had great days; Jacoby Jones and Akil Baddoo both had 2 hits apiece, and Jose Urena pitched fantastic through 7 innings. However, as manager AJ Hinch alluded to postgame, baseball is all about the little things.
“We didn’t make enough winnable plays. And you give them a little extra opportunity here or there or you give them an extra 90 feet here or there, you know, it comes back to bite you a little bit,” said Hinch.
The Pittsburgh Pirates capitalized on their winnable plays to secure a 4-2 victory, clinching the series win. With two outs and two runners on in a tie game in the 8th, Colin Moran did just enough with his opportunity; his slow chopper found the hole in the shift on the left side, bringing home the go-ahead run from 2nd. Erik Gonzalez followed up with an infield single, providing an insurance run the Pirates would not need.
The 8th inning rally from the Pirates came off the heels of a wasted opportunity in the 7th for the Tigers. Rookie outfielder Akil Baddoo led off with a double, putting the go-ahead run at 2nd with no outs. A one-out single from Jacoby Jones should have scored the speedy Baddoo, but a poor read meant he was held at third. The Tigers failed to score on the threat and would allow the game-sealing rally in the following half-inning.
When asked after the game, Hinch said he was sure Baddoo was frustrated with himself.
“He wants to score. His instincts told him to hold up there and we didn’t,” said Hinch.
Baddoo and Jones Break their Slumps
Tigers outfielders Jacoby Jones and Akil Baddoo have had polar opposite starts to their seasons individually. For Baddoo, the rookie has made the most of his big-league opportunity. Entering Thursday, his .700 slugging percentage led all MLB rookies. Also, his four home runs are tied for the rookie-best while he ranks 2nd in RBIs (12) and 7th in batting average (.275).
Meanwhile, Jones has struggled out of the gate. His .176 average is well below his .214 career average as he has not been productive on the plate. Entering the series with the Pirates, both Baddoo and Jones were in serious slumps. A double in the 2nd game of the series broke an 0-15 stretch for Baddoo; for Jones, he entered Thursday with 3 hits in his last 27 at-bats.
However, Thursday’s game signaled life for both of the TIgers’ outfielders at the plate. Baddoo added to his slugging percentage, clubbing and RBI triple and a double in his four at-bats. The double could have been his 5th home run of the year, but left-fielder Phillip Evans kept it in the ballpark. Jones clubbed his first home run in 2021 in the 5th inning while adding another single in the 7th. That is his first multi-hit game of the season and broke and 0-3 stretch in the series.
Urena Has Another Great Start Wasted
Jose Urena has now suffered back-to-back losses in games he pitched well. Last Friday at Oakland, he took the loss after allowing 2 runs in 7 innings pitched. On Thursday, the story was almost identical; Urena pitched 7 strong innings and gave up only 2 runs but earned a no-decision as the Pirates overcame the Tigers bullpen.
In this season, Urena has failed to pick up a win in a Tigers uniform. Today’s no-decision keeps his record at 0-3. Meanwhile, reliever Sam Howard picks up his 2nd win on the season for the Pirates. Richard Rodriguez earned his 3rd save of the season by retiring the Tigers in order in the 9th.
