Edian Espinal kept the bat rolling, Justice Bigbie stretched his streak, and Friday brought a little bit of everything across the Tigers’ system - from a bullpen rescue in Lakeland to a clean finish in Toledo.
In Toledo, the Mud Hens beat Louisville 7-2 behind Dylan File, who worked seven innings and gave his club exactly what it needed. Toledo got on the board in the second when Eduardo Valencia doubled to start the inning, moved up on a Trei Cruz groundout, and scored on a Tyler Gentry grounder that turned into an error.
The Hens added to it in the fourth after Valencia drew a leadoff walk, Gentry singled, and Cal Stevenson walked to load the bases. Andrew Navigato flied out, but Max Clark won an RBI walk after correctly challenging a 3-2 pitch that had been called a strike, and Jace Jung followed with a two-run single off Zach McCambley to make it 4-0.
File didn’t pile up strikeouts, but he kept Louisville quiet for six scoreless frames before allowing two runs in the seventh. Beau Brieske handled the last two innings and shut the door.
Toledo added insurance in the later innings, with Clark dropping a pop-up into shallow left for a single and later scoring on Max Anderson’s hit in the sixth, then Tyler Gentry hammering a two-run homer in the eighth. Gentry finished 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs and the home run, while Clark went 2-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a walk.
Anderson drove in a run, and File improved to 6-6. The Hens now lead the series 3-1 heading into Saturday’s 7:05 p.m.
ET start.
Erie kept its momentum going with a 6-2 win over Chesapeake, and Justice Bigbie was right in the middle of it again. Bigbie went 3-for-4, scored twice and drove in a run to push his hit streak to 23 games. Bennett Lee started the scoring with a solo homer in the third, and Hayden Minton gave Erie four solid innings, allowing one run while striking out five.
The SeaWolves broke it open late. With the game tied 1-1 in the seventh, Bigbie singled to start the inning and E.J.
Exposito followed with his 17th home run of the season for a 3-1 lead. Erie kept the pressure on in the eighth as Patrick Lee singled, Peyton Graham walked, and Bigbie singled Lee home.
Josue Briceño then singled through the right side to score Graham, and Andrew Jenkins reached on an error that let Bigbie score. Tanner Kohlhepp, Wandisson Charles and Trevin Michael finished things off, with Michael striking out three in the ninth and keeping his season ERA at 1.26.
Erie and Chesapeake are tied 2-2 in the series going into Saturday’s 6:35 p.m. ET game.
West Michigan’s night got complicated fast in a 5-3 loss to Peoria. Carlos Marcano left the game with an injury after throwing a pitch in the third inning and immediately appearing to be in pain.
Before that, the Whitecaps had briefly taken the lead in the first when Bryce Rainer walked, moved up on a groundout and a wild pitch, and scored on Luke Shliger’s single. Tai Peete tied it in the bottom half with another home run against Whitecaps pitching.
Ryan Harvey gave West Michigan a lift with three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, but the game turned in the seventh. Cristian Santana launched a solo homer to put the Whitecaps up 2-1, and Zach MacDonald, recently promoted from Lakeland, helped manufacture another run with a single, a disengagement violation, a walk to Enderson Delgado and a double steal before Juan Hernandez singled him in.
Then came the collapse: Preston Howey allowed three home runs in the bottom of the seventh, including another blast from Peete, and gave up four earned runs. Santana finished 1-for-4 with a homer, and Harvey allowed no runs over three innings.
Lakeland’s winning streak ended in a 6-4 loss to Jupiter after Cash Kuiper’s day was over almost immediately. Kuiper threw one pitch, stepped to the back of the mound and threw up, and the Flying Tigers had to turn the game into an emergency bullpen outing. Xiomer Gaucache entered and Jupiter quickly pounced, putting up four runs in a hurry before adding a solo homer in the second to build a 5-0 lead.
Lakeland did chip away. Jesus Pinto doubled in the second, and Javier Osorio and Jordan Yost walked to load the bases, but Beau Ankeney grounded out to end the threat.
Pedro Garcia took over in the third. In the fourth, Jack Goodman walked, Osorio singled, and after a force at second, Ankeney lifted a sacrifice fly to score Goodman and make it 5-1.
Edian Espinal then kept doing what he’s been doing, leading off the fifth with a homer. Jupiter answered with a run in the seventh, but Lakeland got one back in its half when Thayron Liranzo walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on an Espinal groundout and scored on a Jude Warwick groundout.
Hunter Dobbins doubled to open the ninth and scored on Pinto’s sharp single, but that was as close as Lakeland got. Pinto finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and a double.
In Other News...
Mets Bullpen Rumors Just Got More Uncomfortable With Detroit Watching
As the trade deadline approaches, the Tigers are being linked to the kind of bullpen help that usually signals a team still thinking about October. According to USA Todays Bob Nightengale, Detroit is looking around for a late-inning reliever if it decides to make a postseason push rather than take the other path at the deadline, with the market already giving the club a few possible fits to monitor.
The timing matters because Detroit still has a decision to make, and the next stretch of games will help shape how aggressive it gets. If the Tigers do lean into buying, the bullpen is the obvious place to look, and the fact that rival relievers are already being discussed only adds to the sense that the front office is weighing more than one direction as the deadline nears. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Suddenly Face A Gleyber Torres Decision That Could Shape Everything
Gleyber Torres has been out of the Tigers lineup with injuries, but his absence has only sharpened the bigger question hanging over the front office. Detroit has a young roster taking shape around emerging talent, and with more departures likely on the horizon, the club has to decide whether Torres is a short-term piece to shop or a longer-term answer worth keeping in place.
The appeal of keeping him is easy to see. Torres has already shown the kind of on-base ability and positional versatility that can fit almost anywhere in a lineup, and he could even slide into more designated-hitter work if that helps preserve infield flexibility for the next wave of Tigers. He is under contract through 2026, so this is not a distant problem, and the price to lock him in would not be small. But for a team trying to balance present competitiveness with what comes next, it is exactly the sort of decision that can shape more than one season. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Suddenly Linked To The Kind Of Deadline Move Fans Crave
The trade deadline always has a way of pulling the Rays into the center of the conversation, especially when theres a chance to chase a roster upgrade with real impact. Tampa Bay has never been shy about exploring the top end of the market, whether in free agency or on the trade front, and that history is part of why their name keeps surfacing whenever a premium arm might be available.
Detroit fans have already seen Tarik Skubal look like himself again after the elbow procedure, and his recent outing against Kansas City only added to the sense that he is back on track. If the Tigers ever decide to listen, the ripple effect would be immediate, and the Rays are one of the clubs expected to be in that mix as the deadline approaches. [Read more 🡒]