A Weekend Full of Firsts For Tigers
After the fifth of an eventful five-game set with Minnesota, Lloyd McClendon's words were reflective, but not submissive to the 1-4 result. Aware of the growth process but not satisfied with the outcome.
"It was a tough trip for us," said bench coach Lloyd McClendon after Monday's 6-2 loss. "We lost some tough ballgames. You can say if, could've, would've, should've, but the fact is we lost. And we got to go home, and we got to regroup."
Experiencing the feeling of pressure in every game down the stretch is something that last year's 47-114 season simply couldn't offer.
"When you can play in meaningful games, you take a lot out of them. You grow," said McClendon. "You'd obviously like to win them, but I just believe if you're not working hard, you're not learning on a daily basis, you're not getting better. I think this club is getting better. We're getting after it pretty good."
The ups and downs of this unexpected 60-game season have included 11 come from behind wins, a 9-5 start followed by a nine-game losing streak, and then the task of climbing their way back to .500, which couldn't have been done in a more resilient fashion.
We've seen the optimism of MLB debut and the somber feeling of season-ending injuries to key players. A shortened season, but one that has run the gamut of emotions.
Last Saturday's pitchers' duel between the Tigers' No. 5 prospect Tarik Skubal and Twins starter Kenta Maeda exemplified the excitement revolving around Detroit's youth. The mound presence and efficiency that Skubal possessed looked beyond his years.
The effectiveness of a changeup that underwent a slight tweak thanks in part to help from veteran Matthew Boyd looked like an early evolution in Skubal's toolkit.
Let's take a look at some of Genna Rose's quick video hits for Tuesday:
- Tarik Skubal became the first Tigers pitcher to have a quality start age 23 or younger since Daniel Norris did so in 2017.
- Shortstop Sergio Alcantara recorded his first career home run in his first MLB at-bat. Alcantara became the first Tiger to homer in his first MLB at-bat since Daniel Norris did so in 2015
- Kyle Funkhouser recorded his first career win
- Bryan Garcia recorded his first career save
- Sixth occurrence since 1969 where teammates have recorded first HR/Win/Save in the same game
The Tigers begin a brief two-game homestand with the Brewers on Tuesday at 7:10 pm. Tigers' Spencer Turnbull (3-2, 3.89 ERA) faces fellow 27-year-old Adrian Houser (1-3, 4.97).
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