Detroit – Lefty Framber Valdez continues to alternate between solid and spotty in his first season in Detroit. Not exactly the inconsistency the Tigers were looking for when they signed him to a three-year, $115 million contract.
He gave up a pair of home runs in five labor-intensive innings Wednesday as the Tigers were beaten by the Minnesota Twins 6-4 at Comerica Park.
His start was fractured by what ended up being a 75-minute delay between the time he ended an 11-pitch first inning and went back out for the second – waiting out a 67-minute rain delay and the Tigers’ scoreless bottom half of the first.
But he got the first two outs in the second before giving up a 444-foot solo home run to Royce Lewis on a center-cut, 95-mph sinker.
He escaped a bases-loaded mess in the third, thanks to third baseman Kevin McGonigle’s aggressive throw home to cut down former Tiger Ryan Kreidler and first baseman Spencer Torkelson making a stellar play, reaching far over the railing in front of the Twins dugout to snare Josh Bell’s foul ball to end the inning.
The implosion came in the fifth. He hit the first two batters, including No. 9 hitter Alex Jackson on an 0-2 pitch. Byron Buxton cashed that in with a three-run homer to put the Twins up 4-1.
Valdez’s ERA has risen to 4.48 and the Tigers have lost seven of his last eight starts.
The Tigers, facing a parade of six Twins relievers in a modified bullpen game, made one push. Against right-hander Andrew Morris, an infield single by Zach McKinstry, a 10-pitch walk to McGonigle and a single by Gleyber Torres loaded the bases with one out.
Kerry Carpenter hit a hard ground ball (91 mph exit velocity) that bounced by second baseman Luke Keaschall for a two-run single.
The Tigers still had runners at the corners but Dillon Dingler and Riley Greene struck out.
That was as close they would get.
The Twins tacked on two more in a sloppy seventh inning that featured two walks and a run-scoring wild pitch by lefty Drew Sommers. Ty Madden started the inning and left with runners on first and second and two outs.
Manager AJ Hinch summoned Sommers to force the switch-hitting Bell to bat right-handed. Bell singled on an 0-2, center-cut fastball to score one run and Sommers’ wild pitch plated the other.
Dingler drove a two-out, RBI single in the ninth and the right-hander Yoendrys Gomez struck out Greene with two on to end the game.
Loss aside, McGonigle played an outstanding game. He drew three walks at the plate. And at third base, he made four stellar plays. Cutting down Kreidler was the first. In the sixth, in back-to-back plays, he stole a hit from Royce Lewis with a scramble dive going to his left, picking a tricky hop and making a strong throw across the diamond.
Next he retired Keaschall, jumping to snare a high-hopper and making another quick, strong throw to first.
To end the eighth inning, he fielded a ball behind the bag, stepped on third and threw to first to double-up Buxton.
For the second straight day, Mother Nature messed up the starting time in this series.
Rainstorms caused a one hour, 51-minute delay Tuesday. Wednesday was more whacky. The skies were relatively clear at game time, but the National Weather Service had issued a severe storm warning in effect until 7:30 p.m.
So the game started seven minutes late, with Valdez and the Tigers getting through the top of the first. But the storm hit before the Tigers could bat in the bottom of the first.
Fortunately, the delay was short enough (67 minutes), that Valdez and Twins’ starter Mike Paredes could continue.
This will be updated…
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Framber Valdez, Tigers starter, struggles as Twins even series
