Tigers waste scoring chances in opening loss to Giants
· Yahoo Sports
The Tigers finally hit a snag in their west-coast trip, dropping multiple scoring chances in a 5-2 opening loss to the Giants on Friday night.
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Despite outhitting the Giants 11-5 in the series opener, Detroit's batters went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.
Keider Montero's night on the mound also didn't go as planned. Despite allowing just five hits and striking out five batters in six innings of work, three of those hits brought in five runs and two ended as home runs.
In fact, the first run the Tigers got didn't technically count as a hit, with Dillon Dingler grounding into a force out that just happened to bring in Kevin McGonigle from third base that gave Detroit an early 1-0 lead in the first inning.
The only true RBI hit came from Zach McKinstry in the second inning, bringing home Spencer Torkelson with a sharp line-drive single.
As for the Giants, they teed up on Montero early. It started in the bottom of the first inning when Rafael Devers hit a ball deep to center field for a 2-run homer to take a 2-1 lead.
After the Tigers tied it up in the top of the second, Montero loaded the bases with two outs which led to a line-drive single from Jung Hoo Lee that landed right into center field, scoring two runners and giving the Giants a lead they wouldn't give up.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Tigers had runners on first and third with no outs. But, Gleyber Torres, Dingler, and Riley Greene all hit shallow fly outs and couldn't get a sacrifice fly, leaving the Tigers scoreless.
The Giants made them pay in the next inning, where Willy Adames took Montero deep to left field for the second homer and giving San Francisco a 5-2 lead.
The next few innings for the Tigers followed the same pattern. While Montero and relief pitching kept the Giants hitless the rest of the way, Detroit kept missing out on chances. Pinch-hitter Eduardo Valencia froze on an inside curveball for the third out with runners on second and third.
McGonigle, Spencer Torkelson, and McKinstry both had multiple hits. McGonigle continues to shine in his rookie season, going 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot and drawing a walk, while Torkelson also went 3-for-4 while striking out once. McKinstry went 2-for-3.
This is only the second loss in the seven games the Tigers have played on the west coast. They'll have a chance to even the series in Saturday night's game.
Kameron Goodwill is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers waste scoring chances in opening loss to Giants