Detroit Tigers Play To Third Tie Of The Spring Against Philadelphia

The Detroit Tigers have fallen into a dangerous habit of getting out to slow starts in spring, and that trend continued Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Detroit was able to fight back and force a tie against Philadelphia, but they fell out to another early deficit after Chase Utley took Anibal Sanchez deep to right field in the bottom of the first.

Philadelphia held that lead, behind starter Aaron Harang, until the fourth inning when homeruns by Tyler Collins and Yoenis Cespedes gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

However, that lead disappeared quickly after another shot by Utley tied the ballgame. The two homeruns from Utley were his first, and second, of the spring, and the tie forced by his second lasted until the sixth inning when Jefry Marte put the Tigers ahead once more.

Again, though, Philadelphia fought back to the score to a stalemate, when Sanchez allowed his third homerun of the game to Russ Canzler.

Despite the three homeruns, however, Sanchez gave Detroit fans many reasons to be encouraged on Sunday. In just 6 1/3 innings, the Tigers’ right-hander struck out 10 and only walked one.

Another encouraging sign for the Tigers’ fan-base was offered up by the bullpen. Between Blaine Hardy, Angel Nesbitt, and Jose Valdez, Detroit relievers allowed no runs, and just three hits, in 2 2/3 innings.

Meanwhile, the Tigers offense continued to show promise. Cespedes’ homerun was his fourth of the spring, and he added another run scored, as well as one more hit. Beyond that, Miguel Cabrera, played another healthy game, registering one hit and one run scored in four at-bats.

In addition, a few of the Tigers’ more prominent Opening Day hopefuls continued to play well. Tyler Collins’ homerun was his second of the spring, and represented his 8th RBI. Furthermore, James McCann, tallied another hit, which bumped his spring average up to .371.

Alfredo Simon will take the mound for the Tigers’ next contest, which will be at home against the Atlanta Braves. The game will be at 1:05 and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit as well as WXYT 1270.

Next: Miguel Cabrera Homers, Propels Tigers Again