New York – The obstacles keep coming from all angles for the Tigers.
If it isn’t a rash of injuries, it’s inconsistent performances from some of the healthy players. If it isn’t some hard luck liners that land in fielder’s gloves or opponent bloops that drop in, well, it’s an umpire blocking the lane to the plate and stopping what might’ve been the tying run.
Yep, that last one happened Tuesday night as the Tigers were beaten by the woebegone Mets 10-2 in the first of three at Citi Field.
Trailing 3-2 in the fifth inning, Colt Keith singled with two outs and scampered to third on a single to right by Riley Greene. The throw from right fielder Carson Benge scooted by third baseman Brett Baty.
Keith got to his feet and broke for home. But third base umpire Rob Drake was in his path. Keith pushed his way through, knocking Drake to the ground, but the delay cost him the run.
Starting pitcher Freddie Peralta, backing up third base, gathered the ball and threw Keith out at the plate.
Truth be told, that Peralta was still in the game was part of the Tigers’ troubles on this night. They worked him for two runs and 48 pitches in the first two innings. Catcher Dillon Dingler lined his seventh homer over the short wall in left and after a double by Gage Workman, Spencer Torkelson hit a sacrifice fly to left.
But they didn’t step on his neck. Peralta settled in and blanked the Tigers through the sixth.
BOX SCORE: Mets 10, Tigers 2
And the 2-0 lead dissipated quickly and things went steadily downhill the rest of the game.
Tigers’ starter Jack Flaherty, coming off an impressive 10-strikeout outing against the Red Sox, never found that same groove Tuesday. He lasted only 3.2 innings but threw 97 pitches to get there.
He walked three (he’s walked 29 in 36 innings this season) and he was hit hard. The Mets put 15 balls in play with an average exit velocity of 94.3 mph. That there were only three runs on his ledger was a credit to some sterling defense played behind him.
The Mets opened the third inning with three straight singles, the last an RBI knock by Mark Vientos. With two on and one out, left fielder Riley Greene got a quick break on a liner in the gap by Baty and ran down what looked like a double off the bat.
The next hitter, Marcus Semien, hit a ground ball deep in the hole at shortstop. Kevin McGonigle ranged to his right, made a deft backhanded pick, spun and threw a dart to first to end the inning.
McGonigle made a strong play going to his right in the second inning to take an RBI hit away from Francisco Alvarez.
So, isn’t it ironic, then, that a defensive blunder led to the Mets scoring three times and putting the game on ice in the sixth inning.
Again, though, walks that set the table. Reliever Burch Smith walked the last two hitters in the Mets lineup with one out. After a single by Benge loaded the bases, Smith got Bo Bichette to hit a two-hopper to third baseman Workman.
What looked like an inning-ending double-play turned into a two-run error when Workman’s throw to second flew into right field. The third run in the inning scored on a ground out to first by Juan Soto.
The Tigers also helped create a new folk hero in Queens. It was the much-anticipated big-league debut for A.J. Ewing and he didn’t disappoint. He walked three times, stole a base and in the seventh against lefty Enmanual De Jesus, the lefty-swinging Ewing laced a ball into the right-field corner for an RBI triple.
The Tigers, not expecting him to be able to pull the ball off De Jesus, had the outfield shifted toward left.
Ewing in the first Mets player to triple in his debut.
There was also some bad news for the Mets, who entered the game 10 games under .500. Alvarez, their starting catcher, left the game in the middle of his at-bat in the sixth inning with a left knee injury. The Mets said he is scheduled for imaging Wednesday.
The Tigers, with 17 players on the injured list, are taking on water. Six walks, two errors, three unearned runs allowed, hitless in eight plate appearances with runners in scoring position — not a blueprint for success.
They’ve lost 11 of their last 16 and fall to 7-17 on the road.
This story will be updated.
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers drop opener to Mets; Dingler hits team-leading 7th homer
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
