The Tigers had chances all afternoon, but the Nationals made the biggest swing when it counted and walked away with a 4-2 win Wednesday.
Detroit was trying to salvage the series and head into its farewell-to-Verlander weekend on a good note, with Framber Valdez on the mound opposite Richard Lovelady, who opened for Washington. Valdez looked sharp early, working a quick 1-2-3 first and getting two of his outs via strikeout. The Tigers, meanwhile, had a one-out single from Hao-Yu Lee in the first but couldn’t do anything with it.
The pattern held in the second. Washington went quietly again, while Dillon Dingler drew a leadoff walk for Detroit and Max Clark dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him into scoring position. That brought an early end to Lovelady’s day, with Brad Lord taking over and finishing the inning without damage.
Valdez kept cruising through the third, leaning on ground balls and staying in control. Kevin McGonigle doubled with one out in the bottom half, but the Tigers still couldn’t cash in. Even so, McGonigle kept adding to a season that already includes a milestone number: he reached base for the 261st time.
Detroit had another opening in the fourth when Riley Greene walked to start the inning, but a strikeout and a Max Clark double play erased it. On the other side, the Nationals finally started to press Valdez a bit. Brady House singled with two outs, CJ Abrams followed with a walk, and Valdez escaped without giving up a run.
The fifth brought more traffic. Harry Ford walked, moved up on a wild pitch, and Nasim Nunez also drew a walk.
Valdez still got out cleanly, but the warning signs were there. The Tigers had their own threat in the bottom half when Zach McKinstry walked with two outs and McGonigle singled after the Nationals turned to Will Dion, but once again Detroit came up empty.
The game turned in the sixth. Andres Chaparro singled to open the inning, House singled behind him, and Abrams delivered the third straight hit, driving in Chaparro.
Abrams was then erased trying to stretch it into a double play, and AJ Hinch went to Tyler Kinley. That move didn’t stop the bleeding for long.
With two outs, Kinley gave up a homer to Yohandy Morales, and Washington suddenly had a 3-0 cushion.
Detroit answered right away. Ben Malgeri led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Max Clark later doubled with two outs, but that was as far as the Tigers pushed it in the frame.
Washington added another run in the seventh against Jacob Waguespack. Nunez singled with one out, then swiped second and third in back-to-back steals before scoring on a Woods groundout. Detroit had a chance to respond when John Peck walked, stole second, and moved into scoring position, but Jack Sinclair shut that door.
The Tigers kept pressing late. Riley Greene walked in the eighth, advanced on a wild pitch, and Clark worked another walk to put two on, but Yovanny Cruz ended that threat. In the ninth, Kenley Jansen retired the Nationals in order, giving Detroit one last shot.
Jace Jung singled, McGonigle followed with another hit, and after a brief pitch clock delay, Malgeri came through again with an RBI single. That made it 4-2, but the rally stopped there, and the Nationals finished off the Tigers. Valdez ended up with 5.1 innings, four hits, two runs, two earned, three walks and six strikeouts on 87 pitches.
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Tigers Have 4 Under-The-Radar Roster Cases Fans Should Be Watching
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None of those cases is settled yet, and that is what makes them worth watching over the winter. The Tigers offseason will help determine how many openings are truly available, while health and late decisions will matter just as much as what these four have already shown, leaving each player with a chance to turn a strong year into a more permanent place in the plans. [Read more 🡒]