The Tigers had traffic on the bases all afternoon Saturday, but when the game demanded the one swing that could flip it, Detroit never found it.
Philadelphia left-hander Christopher Sánchez shut down a hot Tigers lineup just enough to hand Detroit a 4-2 loss at Comerica Park and end its six-game winning streak. The Tigers had won nine of 10 entering the day, but Sánchez kept working out of trouble and finished the job against a club that kept threatening without cashing in.
Detroit’s biggest blow came from rookie catcher Eduardo Valencia, who kept his early major league surge rolling with his second home run in the first three games of his career. The opposite-field shot off Sánchez accounted for the Tigers’ only run until late, and Valencia added a single into right-center in his next trip to the plate.
Still, the rest of the lineup couldn’t crack the Phillies’ All-Star lefty when it mattered most. Detroit collected nine hits off Sánchez, but stranded six runners while he was on the mound and went 0-for-6 with a runner in scoring position. The Tigers also loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth after Sánchez was chased, only to watch the rally collapse when Spencer Torkelson grounded into a double play, even though a run scored.
Philadelphia did its damage early against Casey Mize and never gave the Tigers much room to breathe. The Phillies scored four runs, three earned, off the Detroit starter, and that cushion proved plenty.
Derek Hill was in the middle of several of those Philly pushes against his former team. The Tigers’ 2014 first-round pick and a member of the organization from 2020-22 reached on a throwing error by third baseman Kevin McGonigle to start the second inning, then stole second and third with Valencia behind the plate in his first MLB start at catcher. Trea Turner followed with a sacrifice fly to bring Hill home.
Hill struck again in the fourth, driving in J.T. Realmuto with an RBI single during a three-run inning.
Realmuto had already doubled in the first two runs of the frame, with Brandon Marsh opening the rally by drawing a walk and Bryson Stott and Realmuto then delivering consecutive hits. Hill later stole his third base.
Mize never quite settled in. He threw 62 of his 97 pitches for strikes, allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits, and struck out four. He mixed a slurve, slider and two splitters, but Philadelphia kept making hard contact, posting an average exit velocity of 92.3 mph against him and topping 100 mph on contact against his fastball.
The Tigers’ bullpen covered the rest of the afternoon with Drew Anderson working 1⅓ innings, Tyler Holton handling a quick eighth, and Kenley Jansen finishing a clean ninth.
The loss dropped Detroit to 44-51 and left the club 5½ games behind the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central. The Tigers are also 2½ games back in the AL wild-card race, with four teams ahead of them.
The series wraps up Sunday at Comerica Park, with Tarik Skubal and Zack Wheeler listed as the probable pitchers. The game comes one day before the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, which will be played Tuesday at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.
In Other News...
Tigers First Round Track Record Looks Very Different Than Fans Think
The Tigers first-round draft story has not followed the tidy script many fans might assume when they hear about a wave of premium picks. A look back from 2022 through 2025 shows a front office that has mixed upside, patience and a few uncomfortable questions, with Jordan Yost, Bryce Rainer, Max Clark and Jace Jung all sitting at very different points on the development curve. Some are still climbing through the minors, some have already reached the majors, and the overall picture is less about one clean success story than a collection of separate bets still being sorted out.
Jordan Yost, the clubs 2025 first-rounder, is already drawing a C+ grade and leaving observers to wonder what Detroit sees in him. Clark remains in Triple-A, where the Tigers want him to keep developing while also preserving his PPI eligibility for 2027, even as the big-league temptation grows louder. And with the 2026 MLB Draft approaching, Detroit will have four picks after forfeiting its third-round selection by signing Framber Valdez, a reminder that the pipeline is still being shaped not just by who the Tigers choose, but by the roster decisions that come before the draft board ever turns. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Just Took Another Bullpen Flier Fans Will Want To Track
The Tigers added another arm to the bullpen mix by claiming right-hander Andre Granillo off waivers from the Nationals and sending him to Triple-A. It is the sort of low-risk move Detroit has made plenty of times as it keeps searching for usable pitching depth, and Granillo brings a little more intrigue than the usual waiver pickup because he has already reached the majors this season and now occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.
Granillo also arrives with some real pedigree, having once been considered a notable Cardinals prospect before St. Louis moved him to Washington earlier this year. The immediate assignment to Triple-A suggests the Tigers want to see more before giving him a longer look, but his track record and the fact that he has already opened this season in the big leagues make him one of those names worth following if Detroit needs another bullpen option later on. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Are Rolling And This Phillies Win Changed The Feeling Fast
The Tigers wasted no time turning a tight game into a loud one Friday night at Comerica Park, burying the Phillies 10-2 in the opener of a three-game series. Detroits offense broke through in a big sixth inning, then kept stacking on runs in the seventh, with Eduardo Valencia, Zach McKinstry, James Outman, Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson all part of the surge that changed the tone fast.
Jack Flaherty helped set the stage by giving Detroit six innings and allowing two runs, giving the club another steady start to lean on as the lineup came alive behind him. The bigger question now is whether this was just one of those nights where everything clicked, or another sign that the Tigers are starting to look a lot more dangerous when a game gets into the middle innings. [Read more 🡒]