Detroit Tigers, Parker Meadows mash Atlanta Braves, 16-7, in spring: Game thread recap

Grapefruit League: Detroit Tigers (8-7) vs. Atlanta Braves (5-6)

When: 1:05 p.m. Saturday.

Where: CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida.

TV: None.

Radio: WXYT-AM (1270; other radio affiliates).

First-pitch weather forecast: Sunny, 82 degrees.

⋅ BOX SCORE

Probable starting pitchers: Tigers RHP Matt Manning (0-1, 13.50 ERA this spring) vs. Braves RHP Charlie Morton (0-0, 3.38 ERA).

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Tigers lineup:

SS Zack Short

2B Cesar Hernandez

LF Riley Greene

1B Spencer Torkelson

RF Austin Meadows

CF Parker Meadows

C Donny Sands

DH Justyn-Henry Malloy

3B Andre Lipcius

P Matt Manning

Game notes: Manning’s most recent start was really two starts in one. After getting rocked for four runs in the first inning (and hitting infielder Justin Turner in the face) against the BoSox in Fort Myers on Monday — on just 22 pitches — Manning was pulled. Given a fresh start in the second inning, he picked up two strikeouts while allowing just one baserunner.

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The performance mirrored Manning’s 2022 for the Tigers in some ways: After returning from the IL in August, Manning had five starts in which he allowed two runs or fewer and lasted at least six innings — and also had three starts in which he allowed at least four runs in less than six innings. The reason, it appears, is tied to the effectiveness of his slider; when it’s on, the combination of that and his fastball is tough to handle. But if it’s not, and Manning can’t get it in the zone, hitters can sit back on the heater. (Don’t take our words for it; here’s what Manning told the Freep’s Evan Petzold earlier this month: "It's frustrating sometimes, honestly, because there's so much stuff that I'm changing," Manning said. "I'm trying to start from the ground up but also do the little things right by getting ahead of hitters, throwing strikes, staying in the zone and not putting myself in bad situations.")

At the plate, meanwhile, the Tigers could struggle against veteran righty Charlie Morton; just two Tigers currently in camp — with Miguel Cabrera and Jonathan Schoop playing for their national teams in the WBC — have faced him. Austin Meadows, Jake Rogers and Matt Vierling are a combined 1-for-9 against Morton, with Vierling having the lone hit, a single last August.

After Saturday’s matchup, the Tigers return home to Lakeland to host AL Central rival Minnesota, while the Braves head to Bradenton to face the Pirates. It’s a packed month for the Tigers; their lone off day in Grapefruit League comes Wednesday and is followed by 12 games in 11 days before the end of spring training on March 26.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers beat Atlanta Braves, 16-7, in spring: Game thread recap