Major meltdown in Motown to end trip
McCullers rocked, offense stymied in most lopsided defeat of season
DETROIT — Lance McCullers Jr., a pitcher known for the tight spin of his curveball, has unwound this past month.
With McCullers on the mound against the Tigers on Sunday, traffic on the bases at Comerica Park resembled rush hour on a Houston highway. He put at least two runners on base in each inning he pitched and allowed five earned runs.
He steadied himself enough to navigate some jams and keep the game close until the sixth inning, when he left the Astros in a hole the bullpen dug deeper.
The Tigers won 13-1. The loss was the Astros’ most
lopsided of the season and capped their 5-4 road trip.
Loquacious following his losses, McCullers assessed his performance tersely.
“Kind of how I’ve been,” he said.
McCullers, 23, made his first All-Star team this year. Through14starts,hewas7-1 with a 2.53 ERA.
Since then, he has given up 23 earned runs in 24 innings pitched (8.62 ERA).
He has tried but failed to identify the problem.
“Whatever I thought it was, obviously (that’s) not it,” he said. “We just need to look at the tape and try to figure it out.”
McCullers started the game unable to aim his fastballs or tame his curves. After he walked the first two batters and fell behind 2-0 on the third, pitching coach BrentStrominterruptedthe at-bat for a mound meeting.
Close strike calls helped McCullers climb back in the countandstraightenout.He escaped the bind by inducing weak contact for three consecutive outs.
McCullers wild
With two outs in the second, McCullers yanked a curveball so far across the plate it hit Austin Romine in the leg. McCullers then bounced a pitch, which let Romine advance to second.
Jose Iglesias, batting ninth, made McCullers pay for his mistakes with a single to right field that drove in Romine for the Tigers’ first run.
Rookie Derek Fisher, who started his third consecutive game in left field, helped McCullers in the third inning. With one out and a runner on base, Miguel Cabrera lined a ball to the wall and Fisher threw him out at second. Fisher ended the inning by catching a fly ball while falling to his knees. He lay face-down in the grass when he lifted his glove to reveal a secured catch.
Cabrera redeemed himself when the Tigers went up 3-0 in the fifth. After Justin Upton singled, Cabrera drove him in with a double.
Justin Verlander, who topped out at 98.4 mph, labored through 110 pitches
in six innings, but held the American League’s best offensescoreless.Hestranded nine runners and ended the Astros’ streak of hitting a double in 60 consecutive games.
McCullers faced 26 batters through five innings. In the sixth, he issued a leadoff walk to Iglesias and then allowed a single to Dixon Machado.
McCullers allowed eight hits, but his wildness was theissue.Hethrewtwowild pitches, hit two batters and
walked four.
“At the tail end, he just had very little feel for where the ball was going,” Hinch said.
Joe Musgrove surrendered consecutive RBI doubles to make the score 6-0.
Sipp struggles in 7th
Tony Sipp pitched the seventh.
He recorded one out and surrendered five earned runs, including a grand slam to Upton, who went 4-for-5 with six RBIs. Sipp’s ERA is 12.90 in 72⁄3 innings pitched in July.
Down 11-0 after seven innings, Hinch decided to risk letting the game get further out of reach in order to preserve his bullpen. Earlier Sunday, the Astros had placed reliever Will Harris back on the 10-day disabled list for a bone bruise in his shoulder.
First baseman Tyler White lobbed pitches to get through the eighth. He surrendered a two-run homer to James McCann. In the ninth, Alex Bregman hit his 11th home run to close the Tigers’ lead to 13-1.
“We’re beat up. We’re not in a good spot right now,” Hinch said. “There are a lot of guys in there that are battling. We’re ready to get home.”