CHICAGO – At least May is over. The Detroit Tigers finished the month with a 6-22 record, featuring a minus-48 run differential.
It’s their worst month since July 2019.
The Tigers lost, 2-1, to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, May 31, in the finale of the three-game series at Rate Field, the final blow in a series sweep.
Everything came crashing down when manager A.J. Hinch pulled right-hander Keider Montero at 65 pitches through six scoreless innings, replacing him with right-handed reliever Drew Anderson.
The Tigers are 22-38 with losses in 21 of their past 25 games. They’re last in MLB, last in the American League and last in the AL Central – and trailing the first-place Cleveland Guardians by 11½ games in the division.
The White Sox, who lost 223 games over the past two seasons, improved to 32-27.
On the mound
A big decision from Hinch backfired.
Montero allowed just two hits (without any walks) across six scoreless innings on 65 pitches, only for Hinch to suddenly replace him with Anderson for the seventh inning.
Why?
The White Sox had left-handed hitters Andrew Benintendi and Colson Montgomery due up – and left-handers entered Sunday’s game with a .179 batting average and a .497 OPS in 75 plate appearances against Anderson.
After Benintendi grounded out, Montgomery pulled Anderson’s middle-middle changeup in a full count for a solo home run to right-center field.
The homer tied the game, 1-1.
The White Sox didn’t stop there, as Chase Meidroth (right-handed hitter), Jacob Gonzalez (left-handed hitter) and Tristan Peters (left-handed hitter) delivered three singles in a row against Anderson for a 2-1 lead.
Before Anderson, Montero allowed only two hits, to Rikuu Nishida (infield single) in the third inning and Peters (double) in the fifth. He registered four strikeouts.
Montero continues to step up in the Tigers’ rotation amid injuries to left-hander Tarik Skubal, right-hander Casey Mize and right-hander Justin Verlander.
It’s easy to forget he joined Triple-A Toledo coming out of spring training.
Montero has experienced ups and downs throughout his 11 starts, but he has a 3.69 ERA. Entering Sunday’s game, the Tigers’ bullpen ranked 18th among 30 MLB teams with a 4.25 ERA.
At the plate
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in first inning.
They were shut out the rest of the way.
In the first, Kevin McGonigle singled and Spencer Torkelson doubled off right-hander Sean Burke, securing a 1-0 advantage. Facing the Tigers, Burke allowed one run on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts across 5⅔ innings.
Burke was allowed to throw 93 pitches.
He has a 3.72 ERA in 12 games (10 starts).
Designated hitter Kerry Carpenter provided a single and a strikeout in his return from the injured list before Jahmai Jones replaced him as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning.
It was Carpenter’s first game for the Tigers since May 9.
In the sixth, the Tigers put runners on first and second base after McGonigle’s walk and Jones’ walk, but left-handed reliever Chris Murphy escaped when Riley Greene grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Next up: Rays
The Tigers travel from the South Side to The Big Guava for a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St, Petersburg, beginning Monday (6:40 p.m., Detroit SportsNet).
The Tigers haven’t named their starter, but it’s expected to be right-hander Ty Madden in his return from the injured list with a right forearm contusion. Right-hander Griffin Jax – a reliever converted to a starter – will start for the Rays.
Remember how the Tigers have MLB’s worst record?
The Rays have MLB’s third-best record, at 36-20; they trail only the National League’s Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers, though they’ve lost five of their past seven games.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A.J. Hinch decision backfires in Tigers’ loss to White Sox for sweep
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
