Detroit Tigers' Matthew Boyd chased in 2nd inning of 9-2 loss to Seattle Mariners
Matthew Boyd couldn't get through two innings.
The 32-year-old, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract in the offseason after pitching for the Seattle Mariners last season, walked four batters, struggled to control his pitches from the beginning of his outing and exited with one out in the second inning. He gave up six runs in the Detroit Tigers' 9-2 loss to the Mariners in Friday's series opener at Comerica Park.
Boyd has a 6.47 ERA in seven starts.
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The Tigers (17-20) scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning when catcher Jake Rogers tagged an up-and-in 89.8 mph fastball for a two-run home run off left-hander Marco Gonzales.
Gonzales, who lowered his ERA to 4.42 in seven starts, allowed two runs on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts across five innings. He tossed 60 of 89 pitches for strikes and generated 10 whiffs.
Miguel Cabrera, playing in the 2,719th game of his career, worked a leadoff four-pitch walk to begin the fifth inning. He came around to score on the 402-foot home run. It was Rogers' fifth homer — which leads the Tigers (ahead of Kerry Carpenter and Nick Maton with four apiece) — in 26 games this season.
The Tigers, finishing 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, scratched across two runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts against four pitchers.
There were runners on the corners with zero outs in the eighth inning, but the Tigers — trailing by five — stranded the runners. Akil Baddoo lined out to shallow center field and Eric Haase grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Roger that! A two-run blast from @_JROG_ puts the @tigers on the board here in the 5th! #RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/UqPHj2nE8Y
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) May 13, 2023
Evergreen daze
The Mariners were not kind to their old friend.
Boyd, who grew up in the Seattle area, pitched out of the bullpen for his hometown team last season. He struggled in his latest matchup with the M's, allowing six runs (five earned runs) on five hits and four walks with one strikeout in 1⅓ innings.
He threw 28 of 55 pitches for strikes.
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Boyd started his outing with a leadoff walk to J.P. Crawford, and although he limited the damage to one run in the first inning, he couldn't keep the Mariners from piling on in the second.
He struck Teoscar Hernandez, then walked back-to-back batters — Tom Murphy and AJ Pollock — before Jose Caballero's single loaded the bases. Crawford put the Mariners ahead, 2-0, with an infield single.
Second baseman Jonathan Schoop couldn't field the ball cleanly, but if he could have picked it out of the dirt, he likely would have turned an inning-ending double play. Crawford hit the ball with a 106.5 mph exit velocity.
After that, Boyd walked Ty France with the bases loaded.
Julio Rodríguez then hit a two-run single to left-center, extending the Mariners' lead to 5-0 and chasing Boyd from his seventh start. The Mariners took a 6-0 advantage when Jarred Kelenic grounded into a force play with right-handed reliever Mason Englert on the mound.
The sixth run scored on Javier Báez's throwing error on the second half of an unsuccessful double play attempt.
Boyd recorded nine whiffs and five called strikes.
Taxing the bullpen
The Tigers were forced to use five relievers: Englert, right-hander Will Vest, left-hander Tyler Holton, righty José Cisnero and lefty Tyler Alexander. Englert and Holton led the bullpen with 2⅔ and 1⅔ innings, respectively.
Alexander pitched the final two innings.
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The Mariners scored their seventh run off Cisnero — charged to Holton — in the seventh inning. Rodríguez, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, hit a 347-foot home run off Alexander's changeup for a 9-2 lead in the ninth inning.
The ball snuck inside the right-field foul pole.
It was Rodríguez's seventh homer of the season.
That @JRODshow44 smile >>> pic.twitter.com/094LWyTo7M
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 13, 2023
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers, Matthew Boyd beat down by Seattle Mariners, 9-2
