Tigers' Valdez roughed up in 10-4 loss to Rangers in opener
· Yahoo Sports
The Detroit Tigers couldn't handle the heat of the Texas Rangers' bats on Thursday, as they got smacked in a 10-4 loss to begin this three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
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The loss broke the Tigers' streak of six straight games scoring five or more runs. But it wasn't entirely on the offense tonight, as starter Framber Valdez allowed five runs in five innings, while the bullpen allowed a combined five more runs in three innings of relief.
The Tigers had no answer for Nathan Eovaldi early in this game. He pitched four scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowed just one walk, cutting through the Tigers' batting order.
The fifth inning is when the Tigers finally broke through. Colt Keith showed that Eovaldi wasn't exactly Nolan Ryan reincarnated for one night, making contact on a high cutter for a 405-feet home run, putting the Tigers on the board and ending Eovaldi's early no-hitter chances.
BOX SCORE: Rangers 10, Tigers 4
Hao-Yu Lee hit a ball, surprisingly off that splitter which haunted the Tigers earlier, deep to left field as Alejandro Osuna almost made an amazing robbery at the wall. But instead of ending the inning with Eovaldi allowing just one run, Lee's two-run homer cut the deficit to two.
The Tigers didn't score again in the fifth, but at least they showed that their home run hitting wasn't just a June trend. The same could be said for Valdez, as his season struggles continued.
It was the second inning when Valdez left a curveball hanging in the middle of the zone for Elias Díaz, who crushed it into left-center field for the game's first run. Unfortunately for Valdez, things got worse later in that inning as the Rangers loaded the bases with one out, then he walked Josh Jung to allow the second run.
Ezequiel Duran then hit a deep sacrifice fly to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead at the end of the second inning.
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Things only got worse in the bottom of the fourth as Jung smacked a hit past Kevin McGonigle's glove and down the left-field line, scoring Nicky Lopez on a RBI-double. Then Duran made contact with a low changeup that rolled past the diving glove of Zach McKinstry. Another hit, another RBI as the lead ballooned to 5-0.
Valdez bounced back, not allowing a runner on base for the first time all game in the bottom of the fifth inning. But that was his last inning pitched, allowing nine hits and five runs with just one strikeout.
Riley Greene's double to start the top of the sixth inning knocked Eovaldi off the mound, and in came the Rangers' bullpen. First came Tyler Alexander, as the Tigers loaded the bases with two outs. Then Rangers manager Skip Schumaker quickly pulled Anderson for Peyton Gray, who struck out Lee to end the inning.
Beau Brieske took over in relief for Valdez, and the Rangers took advantage immediately when pinch-hitting Josh Smith took a first-pitch fastball deep to right field for another home run, giving the Rangers a 6-3 lead.
The Tigers had another chance to put more runs up in the top of the seventh with runners on first and second with just one out. But Greene struck out swinging, then Matt Vierling hit a ball right into the glove of Josh Smith as the Tigers left empty-handed in back-to-back innings.
After getting the first two batters out, manager AJ Hinch decides to pull Brieske. Then Drew Sommers came in for a nightmare of a relief appearance. With no one on-base, Sommers allowed four hits and walk, with three of those hits as RBI singles.
In a surprise, Hinch brought out Kenley Jansen in Jansen's first appearance since allowing four runs in the 10th inning against the Astros on Sunday. Despite walking his first batter, Jansen forced a fly-out to end the inning.
The Tigers got one more run in the top of the eighth inning thanks to Ben Malgeri bringing McKinstry home on an RBI single, but that was all the offense could muster.
Detroit will take Friday off for their first off-day in two weeks before taking on the Rangers again during the 4th of July holiday.
Kameron Goodwill is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers' Valdez roughed up in 10-4 loss to Rangers in opener