The Detroit Tigers continued a recent tailspin on Sunday, blowing a ninth-inning lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks (box score) to extend their losing streak to nine consecutive games. The Tigers have not won since entering May 29 one game back of the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.
Sunday's loss was particularly brutal for Detroit. The Tigers held a 5-2 lead heading into the eighth inning, and a 5-3 advantage heading into the ninth. The Diamondbacks then staged an impressive rally against Jason Foley. Here's the sequence of the events presented in a handy-dandy bulleted list:
- Gabriel Moreno grounded out (one out);
- Emmanuel Rivera singled to right;
- Ketel Marte walked, Rivera advanced to second;
- Corbin Carroll singled, Rivera scored and Marte advanced to second (5-4);
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr. flied out (two outs);
- Christian Walker doubled, Carroll and Marte scored on a fielding error (5-6);
- Geraldo Perdomo singled, Walker scored (5-7).
Foley was then able to coax the final out of the inning off the bat of Pavin Smith. The Tigers had a chance to match or win in the bottom of the ninth, with Andy Ibáñez hitting a leadoff triple and Kerry Carpenter drawing a one-out walk. Alas, the Diamondbacks made a pitching change, as Scott McGough relieved Andrew Chafin, and McGough retired the first two batters he faced to put the game away and keep the score at 7-5.
The Tigers are now 0-9 in June. They've been outscored by 16 runs across that stretch, and were the subject of multiple late no-hit bids this week. Indeed, Detroit has scored two runs or fewer in six of those nine losses.
The Tigers' schedule won't get easier from here, either. They'll host the Atlanta Braves for three games to start the week before heading to Minnesota for a four-game set against the Twins next weekend.
