Troy Melton’s dominant seven-inning start evaporated in Chicago as Detroit’s recurring nightmare of squandered leads and bullpen collapses culminated in a crushing tenth-inning walk-off defeat.
Phil Connors, the character played by Bill Murray in the movie “Groundhog Day,” had better nights while trying to keep himself sane while the same day repeated over and over again.
The Tigers, on the other hand, are not so fortunate.
Detroit wasted a strong start from Troy Melton, blew another late lead and fell to the Chicago White Sox, 4-3, in 10 innings Friday night at Rate Field. Miguel Vargas delivered the final punch, hitting a two-run homer off Drew Anderson with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, sending the Tigers to their fifth extra-inning loss in as many tries this season.
The Tigers have now blown 14 saves, and this one followed the same miserable script that has been haunting them for weeks. Get just enough starting pitching. Scratch out a lead. Fail to add on. Hand it to the bullpen. Watch the ending turn into chaos.
Melton deserved much better.
The right-hander gave Detroit seven innings of one-run ball, working through traffic without letting the game unravel. He allowed the White Sox to put runners on base, but outside of Vargas’ RBI double in the third inning, Melton kept Chicago from finding the big swing. He got help from his defense, including a strong catch from Wenceel Pérez in right field and a few sharp plays from Spencer Torkelson at first base, but Melton did exactly what the Tigers needed from him.
He gave them length. He gave them a lead. He gave them a chance to stop the same late-game nightmare from playing out again.
The Tigers gave Melton an early cushion in the third inning when Zack Short walked and Dillon Dingler followed with a two-run home run to left-center field, his 11th of the season. That made it 2-0, and for a while, it looked like Detroit might finally have enough.
Of course, “enough” has become a dangerous word with this team.
Chicago cut the lead in half in the bottom of the third after Sam Antonacci singled and Munetaka Murakami reached on a forceout before leaving the game for pinch-runner Luisangel Acuña following an injury delay. Vargas followed with an RBI double to left, scoring Acuña and making it 2-1.
Melton did not fold. He kept the Tigers in front, working through the middle innings and finishing his night by retiring Chicago in order in the seventh. The Tigers had every reason to take control of the game from there. His final line: 7IP 6H 1ER 1K and a walk.
Detroit had opportunities to make this less stressful, and of course, they did not. In the fourth, Riley Greene singled, Matt Vierling singled and Zach McKinstry walked to load the bases with two outs. Short lined out, and that was that. In the sixth, Greene singled again, but Detroit ran itself into another dead end when Torkelson forced him out at second and Wenceel Pérez grounded into an inning-ending double play.
That is the part that drives you nuts. The Tigers keep playing these games on a razor’s edge, then act surprised when one bad inning, one bad throw or one bad pitch sends the whole thing into the ditch. You cannot keep asking this bullpen to protect one-run leads every night and expect it to magically work itself out.
Will Vest replaced Melton in the eighth and worked around a leadoff single from Edgar Quero. Vargas grounded into a double play, Colson Montgomery struck out looking, and the Tigers were three outs away from getting out of Chicago with a badly needed win to start the weekend.
Kyle Finnegan entered with a 2-1 lead and immediately put the tying run in motion. Andrew Benintendi singled, Tristan Peters followed with another single and suddenly the White Sox had runners on the corners with one out. Rikuu Nishida dropped down a sacrifice bunt, Benintendi scored and a throwing error by Torkelson helped turn the inning into another late-game mess.
The White Sox tied it, 2-2, and the Tigers were headed back to extra innings, where nothing good has happened for them this season.
Detroit actually responded in the top of the 10th. Vierling started the inning at second, McKinstry moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt and Short lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
Once again, the Tigers had the lead. Once again, they could not protect it.
Anderson got the first two outs in the bottom of the 10th, striking out Antonacci and getting Derek Hill to ground out. But with automatic runner Drew Romo still at second, Vargas jumped him for his 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center field that ended the game and left the Tigers staring at another brutal loss. Vargas sat on the change and spanked it.
Different city, same ending.
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