Detroit Tigers win 2-1 vs. Nationals in Eduardo Rodriguez's final start before WBC outing
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Nationals, 2-1, on Wednesday at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
The Tigers improved to 7-6 in Grapefruit League play.
What happened
A simple walk gave the Tigers an opportunity.
Zack Short worked a leadoff walk against right-handed reliever Jackson Rutledge in the sixth inning. The next batter, Jonathan Davis, sent a 97 mph fastball to center field for a single, advancing the runner to third base. And the next batter, Austin Meadows, drilled a high heater to center field for a sacrifice fly.
It was the first run of the game
JEFF SEIDEL: I took a break from spring training and found resilience where Hurricane Ian hit
IN TAIWAN: Tigers third baseman Andy Ibáñez puts roster battle on pause to play for Team Cuba
The Tigers finished with six hits, one walk and seven strikeouts, while the Nationals finished with 11 hits, four walks and 14 strikeouts. Diego Rincones, called up from minor-league camp, hit an RBI single in the eighth inning for a 2-0 lead.
Starting off
Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez started his final game in spring training before joining Team Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic. He is expected to pitch for Venezuela on Tuesday against Nicaragua in Miami.
It will be Rodriguez's first-ever WBC appearance.
"I feel like I've already been on the big stage with the World Series," Rodriguez said. "I know the stadium there is going to be packed, but I've already been in places like that, so it's going to be like another game for me. That's the mindset every time I go out there. I want to execute my pitches and get the best result for my country."
WHO MAKES THE CALL?: Eduardo Rodriguez wants to call his own pitches; Tigers plan to be 'collaborative'
On Wednesday, Rodriguez fired 3⅓ scoreless innings with four hits, one walk and six strikeouts.
He threw 36 of 56 pitches for strikes.
"He was very effective again," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "As we've said over and over, he came in really ready to make pitches, and I'm glad he had to pitch under a little bit of duress. It's going to be a stressful outing for him in his next outing in the WBC, so pitching with some runners on was good."
Rodriguez wanted to call his own pitches after doing so in his previous start, but in a next-day meeting with the pitchers and catchers, the Tigers stressed collaboration among several voices in the organization.
This time, Rodriguez and catcher Eric Haase called pitches together based on the scouting report.
"It's going to be between the catchers and me and the scouting reports," Rodriguez said. "Today was the best example of that. I was calling some pitches. He was calling some pitches. We had a really good plan, and we executed. I feel like that's the best way."
He threw 24 four-seam fastballs, 19 cutters, 11 sinkers and two changeups. His six strikeouts: Lane Thomas (91.5 mph fastball), Matt Adams (92.6 mph sinker), Michael Chavis (92.5 mph sinker), Riley Adams (92.4 mph fastball), Thomas (87.3 mph cutter) and Matt Adams (91.8 mph sinker).
Rodriguez's fastball averaged 91.5 mph.
At the plate
Infielder Andre Lipcius, who split time defensively between third base and second base, finished 0-for-3 with three balls in play. He grounded out in the second inning, lined out in the fifth inning and flied out in the seventh inning.
Lipcius seems lined up to receive more playing time due to the absence of Tyler Nevin. He is hitting .389 (7-for-18) with one double, three home runs, zero walks and two strikeouts in nine games.
SEIDEL: Tigers' surprising power surge might be the best part of this spring so far
MORE SEIDEL: Why Tigers prospect Izaac Pacheco is Mr. Fearless: 'I love him'
First baseman Spencer Torkelson went 0-for-2. He hit the ball hard twice and flied out to deep center field twice. Both pitches were high-velocity fastballs inside the strike zone, a problem area for Torkelson last season.
His exit velocities: 109.7 mph in the second inning and 105.6 mph in the fourth inning. His distances: 410 feet and 382 feet. His expected batting averages: .980 and .920. Simply put, Torkelson had two of the unluckiest plate appearances in spring training.
He is hitting .150 in eight games.
On the mound
Five relievers followed Rodriguez: left-hander Troy Holton, right-hander Alex Lange, righty Jason Foley, lefty Tyler Alexander and lefty Zach Logue.
Holton recorded the final two outs in the fourth inning — after Rodriguez walked a batter with one out — and tossed a scoreless fifth. The 26-year-old threw 21 of 28 pitches for strikes and recorded eight swings and misses.
His changeup was solid again.
"He can make pitches," Hinch said. "His changeup is really effective. His fastball is pretty good. He can cut it a little bit. He's a well-rounded pitcher. He has done a lot of different roles in his career. It's good that he's got the equalizer against right-handed hitters with the changeup."
NEW RELIEVER: Trevor Rosenthal plans to be ready to pitch on Opening Day, but Tigers won't rush him
Lange and Foley fired back-to-back scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh before Alexander took over for the eighth. He allowed a single and two walks while recording two outs.
The Tigers went to Logue, another lefty, with the bases loaded.
He struck out Jacob Young on four pitches. In the ninth, Logue gave up a run on three singles before finishing the four-out save.
"Coming in and throwing strikes is key," Hinch said. "If you want to impress us, throw strikes. He's generally done that."
Three stars
1. Holton; 2. Rodriguez; 3. Short.
Next up
Thursday (1:05 p.m.) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers win 2-1 vs. Nationals in Eduardo Rodriguez's final start before WBC outing
