Detroit Tigers robbed of tying HR to end unlikely 9th-inning comeback

Anthony Fenech
Detroit Free Press

HOUSTON – The Detroit Tigers hung around all week.

They fell by a run on Monday, outhit the high-powered Houston Astros offense again Tuesday, defeated former ace right-hander Justin Verlander on Wednesday, but on Thursday night, it fell apart late.

It likely wouldn’t have mattered, not with the way righty Gerrit Cole was on his game in the finale of a four-game set at Minute Maid Park.

Cole dominated the Tigers, allowing two hits in seven scoreless innings, his high-octane repertoire far too much for the visitors to have much of a chance. The Tigers rallied in the ninth inning and nearly tied the game, but Dawel Lugo's deep fly ball to right field with two runners on was caught against the wall, and the Tigers lost, 6-3.

In his second start since returning from the 10-day disabled list, Tigers righty Jordan Zimmermann pitched well, allowing two runs in five innings. Zimmermann’s only mistake wasn’t much of a mistake: Houston third baseman Alex Bregman hit a two-run home run on an inside-half fastball to provide a lead they wouldn’t lose.

Alex Bregman hits a two-run home run in the fourth inning Thursday in Houston.

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The game unraveled in the seventh, when the Astros (82-47) scored three times against righty David McKay, who – so solid early in his Tigers’ tenure – looked worn down, pitching for the third time this series.

In the ninth inning, John Hicks and Niko Goodrum hit back-to-back home runs. For Hicks, it was his 10th. For Goodrum, his 12th. The Tigers (38-87) weren’t done: Travis Demeritte and Ronny Rodriguez drew back-to-back walks, putting the tying run at the plate, before Lugo came within inches of tying the game as Josh Reddick softly leapt to catch the ball against the wall.

Josh Reddick catches a deep fly ball at the wall in the ninth inning to secure a 6-3 win over the Tigers.

The Tigers head to Minnesota for three games against the Twins to conclude their three-city, 10-game road trip against American League contenders.

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Here are three observations from the loss:

Zimmermann’s night

The Tigers still seem cautious with Zimmermann, who only threw 81 pitches over five innings. The task was tall: The Astros are littered with All-Stars offensively, but Zimmermann navigated twice through their lineup without falling victim to a big threat. He limited the damage to the Bregman home run. Zimmermann (1-9, 6.48 ERA) allowed three hits, walked one batter and struck out four.

Offensively

Niko Goodrum hits a solo home run in the ninth inning.

The Tigers did next to nothing until … John Hicks, the hero in Wednesday night’s win with a game-winning home run off Verlander, came to the plate in the top of the ninth. Hicks blasted his second homer in as many nights, off the train high beyond left field. Then, in his first game after missing four with a sore groin, Goodrum followed with a shot to right-center for back-to-back home runs. Other than those two home runs, the Tigers totaled three singles and three walks.

The other side

On Wednesday night, we saw Verlander throw a hard-luck complete game loss, further cementing his status as the American League Cy Young Award favorite. Cole was as impressive, with one walk and 12 strikeouts. Combined with Verlander’s 11 strikeouts a night earlier, Houston’s 1-2 punch is the most dominant in baseball – and a big reason why it is the World Series favorite in the American League.

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Contact Anthony Fenech at afenech@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.