Chicago — As with most Tigers losses these days, there was plenty of blame to go around Friday night.
Even on one crucial play, there were multiple breakdowns, all of them leading to another crushing defeat, 4-3 to the White Sox in 10 innings at Rate Field.
The Tigers led, 2-1, entering the bottom of the ninth inning, with Kyle Finnegan on the mound for only his second ninth-inning save opportunity of the season. He got the first hitter, Chase Meidroth, on a grounder to shortstop. But then the next two hitters, Andrew Benintendi and Tristan Peters, hit back-to-back singles.
That put runners on first base and third base with one out, setting up what would arguably be the sequence of the game, because without it, Miguel Vargas never even gets the chance to hit the two-run, two-out, walk-offer home run the following inning. It was a high-stress situation, because the White Sox had speed at first base and speed at the plate, in rookie batter Rikuu Nishida. A steal was a possibility. A double play wasn’t likely.
And the most obvious play was a bunt, and that’s what happened, when Nishida squared on the first pitch and laid down a safety squeeze between home plate and the pitcher’s mound, along the third-base line.
Finnegan fielded it and quickly fired to first to get Nishida. Benintendi, during the throw, broke for home, and Spencer Torkelson’s throw to the plate was wide. Tie score. And the beginning of the end for yet another Tigers loss.
“A couple subtle breakdowns that created the opportunity for them to sort of make up a play as the play was under way,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “There are ways to defend it.”
So, who was at fault? Here’s the ranking:
1. Kevin McGonigle
The Tigers third baseman’s assignment on that play was to stick near the bag, which would’ve kept Benintendi from getting too far off down the line. Instead, McGonigle, a rookie perhaps a bit overly eager to make a play, charged on the ball, allowing Benintendi to safely move farther down the line as well.
“The pitcher’s gotta control the area,” Hinch said. “(Benintendi) can only go as far as the third baseman takes him. As Kevin moved down the line, so did Benintendi, which allowed him to get (close to) halfway.”
Benintendi then broke for home after Finnegan threw to first. If McGonigle stays put, Benintendi likely does, too.
2. Kyle Finnegan
Finnegan actually made a nice play on the bunt, and a nice strong throw to first, so this may seem a bit harsh. But Finnegan didn’t give much if any glance to Benintendi to attempt to freeze him or possibly even catch him in a rundown. Even the slightest glance at Benintendi could’ve disrupted the runner and kept him from trying to score.
Of course, too long a look toward Benintendi, and Finnegan ran the risk of not getting Nishida at first. Then, best-case scenario, the White Sox have bases loaded with Meidroth coming up and things are still pretty bleak.
Instead, Finnegan got one out, and Torkelson snagged Drew Romo’s hot grounder to end the inning.
3. Spencer Torkelson
He’s a distant third in the blame game here, but Torkelson did throw wildly from first to Dillon Dingler at home as Benintendi scored the tying run. Even a good throw wasn’t guaranteed to get the out, because Benintendi, again, was already too far down the line when Finnegan fielded the bunt.
“I don’t know what would’ve happened if it would’ve been a better throw from first,” Hinch said.
Here’s what we do know: It was another defensive breakdown for a Tigers team that has made a ton of them in 2026, ranking last in major league baseball in the advanced-metric stat Outs Above Average.
Tigers at White Sox
First pitch: 2:10 Sunday, Rate Field, Chicago
TV/radio: Detroit SportsNet/97.1
SCOUTING REPORT
RHP Keider Montero (2-3, 4.09), Tigers: He’s making his 11th start of the season, after originally only being supposed got a start or two until Justin Verlander’s hip soreness calmed down. Montero has been a steady presence, with a career-best 1.073 WHIP, though he is coming off one of his rougher starts of the season.
RHP Sean Burke (2-3, 3.90), White Sox: A third-round pick in 2021, he’s in his second full season as a member of the White Sox starting rotation, and he’s making great strides. His WHIP is down to 1.150 and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is a much-improved 3.38. Last time out, he blanked the Padres through six innings.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Who’s to blame for breakdown in latest Tigers loss: Got a minute?
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
