Parker Meadows has been an impactful player for the Detroit Tigers since coming off the injured list.
The rookie center fielder recorded his third straight game with two hits and blocked a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to help the Tigers win 6-2 against Seattle’s Cal Raleigh on Wednesday night.
Detroit will try to complete a three-game series Thursday night at Seattle.
“That was a big play, it changed the game,” Detroit manager AJ Hinch said of Meadows’ catch. “When the ball was hit to center field, I felt comfortable knowing Parker was going to make it.”
Meadows, who missed nearly a month with a tight right hamstring, is 6 for 14 (.429) since returning Saturday against Kansas City. He had two singles on Wednesday after hitting a one-run single to center field and a 415-foot home run in the Tigers’ 4-2 series-opening win at Seattle the night before.
But that moment was overshadowed by his game-winning catch off left-hander Tarik Skubal the following night.
With the Tigers leading 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and a runner on second base, Lawrie, who had hit a two-run homer to center field in the fourth inning, smacked a high home run to deep right-center field off reliever Jason Foley.
The 6-foot-5 Meadows (nicknamed “Baby Giraffe” for his elongated frame) stretched out to the wall and timed his jump perfectly, reaching high over the wall to catch the ball. He cheered and slammed his chest once as he ran back to the dugout.
“My job was to go up to the wall, go to that spot, look up and find it,” Meadows said. “In that situation, it was pretty cool. It got to me with emotion. I don’t do that a lot.”
The Seattle University product allowed just three hits and two runs in seven innings and has emerged as a candidate for the AL Cy Young Award. Skubal not only leads the AL in wins (13) with Kansas City’s Seth Lugo and Baltimore’s Grayson Rodriguez, he also leads the AL in ERA (2.57) and strikeouts (171), making him a candidate for the rare Pitching Triple Crown.
“It’s always fun pitching here,” said Skubal, who was in attendance with a large contingent of Redhawks fans, “but you have to try not to make too much of a big deal out of the game. It’s definitely tough pitching here, but it’s fun.”
The Mariners have lost three straight games and are now half a game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West.
“It’s a game where you play it close and you just need to get a big hit at the end of the game to win,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Wednesday’s loss. “We did everything right. They just made plays. (Meadows) made plays.”
Lowry said the Mariners lacked energy the past two nights.
“We’ve got to move forward,” he said. “Stuff happens, we can’t play perfect every game, but we’ve got to bring energy every game and make sure we start off strong every night.”
“It’s that time of the year again. Everybody’s tired. Everybody’s injured. Every team, every player has their issues. We can’t sit here and feel sorry for ourselves. We have to keep moving forward.”
Mariners right-hander Brian Woo (5-1, 2.08 ERA) is scheduled to pitch in the series finale, his first against Detroit. The Tigers have yet to decide on a starter, so it will likely be a battle of relievers.
–Field Level Media
