Tigers even series with Cubs; Andy Ibanez has career night with two homers
Chris McCosky
Detroit — The Tigers and Cubs played another round of rock-em, sock-em baseball Tuesday night.
"It's pretty fun," said Andy Ibanez, whose career night ignited the Tigers' 8-6 victory over the Cubs at Comerica Park. "You can see the chemistry that we have in the dugout. Everyone down here wants to help win games."
The early rounds featured a slug-out between Ibanez and Chicago's Dansby Swanson.
Ibanez, the Tigers’ second baseman, slugged a pair of home runs and knocked in four. Both came off hanging curveballs by Cubs’ starter and former Tigers lefty Drew Smyly.
It was the first multi-homer game of his career and he’d gone 47 plate appearances without hitting one (since July 23).
"I wasn't looking for home runs, just trying to make good contact," Ibanez said through Tigers' bilingual interpreter Carlos Guillen. "At the end of the day, I'm happy with the results but I'm more happy we won the game and I was able to contribute."
The first homer, a solo shot in the first inning, traveled 423 feet carrying beyond the visitors’ bullpen in left-center. The second one, a three-run blast in the fourth, flew 402 feet and cleared the Tigers’ bullpen in left.
"The first one, it was just a reaction," Ibanez said. "The second one, I remembered (hitting coach Michael) Brdar told me that Drew threw 45% breaking balls. I was waiting for it and when I saw it, I got a good swing on it."
Swanson, the Cubs' shortstop, answered with a two-run home run in the fourth and a two-run single in the fifth.
His homer was the first hit of the game allowed by Tigers’ starter Reese Olson. Olson had breezed through the Cubs order the first three innings, striking out six and getting a lot of feeble swings with his slider. He took a 3-0 lead into the fourth.
"Honestly, that was probably the best stuff I've had the whole year," said Olson, who ended up with six runs on his ledger in 4.2 innings, despite allowing just four hits. "In terms of fastball command, the slider shape, the changeup shape, I feel like it was a better outing than the line shows. So, it's a little frustrating."
After walking Ian Happ, he hung a first-pitch slider to Swanson and he clobbered it out to left.
"I'm sure Dansby was sitting on that after he saw the sinker in his first at-bat," Olson said.
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Two batters later, he hung another one to former Tiger Jeimer Candelario – another two-run homer and the Cubs were up 4-3. Candelario has 18 homers and has hit safely in 12 of the 18 games he's played since being traded to the Cubs.
"It was a grind for Reese (97 pitches) but I loved his compete button," manager AJ Hinch said. "And I loved how he almost got through the outing. If he'd have gotten through five he would have felt a lot better about it. He gave us what he could."
Olson’s night was done in the fifth after he walked Mike Tauchman and with two outs gave up a double to Cody Bellinger. Right-hander Brendan White was summoned to face Swanson.
White left a 1-2 fastball up and over the plate and Swanson swatted it to right field for a two-run single.
Tigers 7, Cubs 6 and still four innings to go.
Things got eerily quiet after that, though.
That’s generally what happens when Tyler Holton and the back-end of the Tigers’ bullpen gets involved.
Holton got four straight outs, which is what he’s done all month. He’s on a streak of 12.1 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts.
The last out, though, he will have to share with Parker Meadows. The rookie centerfielder, playing in his second big-league game, robbed Bellinger of a leadoff double in the eighth with a stunning, full-layout on a dead sprint catch of a drive to right-center.
He had to run more than 90 feet to get to the ball.
"Of the bat I thought I had a good chance to catch it," Meadows said. "I saw Kerry (Carpenter, right fielder) crashing in. I've got to yell a little louder here than in Toledo to call for the ball. Fortunately I caught it. It was cool."
Meadows, who singled and walked and scored twice in first two at-bats, showed off his speed in the fifth inning, too. He drove a ball to the wall in center field and sped into third base with a triple. He was flying around first but somehow seemed to hit overdrive as he rounded third. He outran an excelled relay throw.
"What we've said about him is turning out to be true in two games," Hinch said. "Our fans are getting a glimpse of him at this level of all the work that's been done by him to get himself ready. But it's pretty awesome to see this kind of contribution this fast."
For all the haymakers the Tigers' threw early, the ever-important tack-on run came after they'd absorbed a couple of shots. They manufactured a run off reliever Jose Cuas in the eighth on two walks and two hit-batsmen. Carpenter got drilled in the leg with the bases loaded, forcing in the eighth run.
Catcher Jake Rogers took a shot, too, but his was self-inflicted. He fouled a ball off his left shin in the sixth inning. He finished the game, but he was limping noticeably out of the box on a double-play ball he hit in the eighth.
"I was one step down from where I normally stand in the dugout and Jake was already lobbying about playing tomorrow," Hinch said. "He's a catcher. He'll be fine."
Jason Foley finished off the eighth inning, getting Christopher Morel to ground out after he’d allowed a two-out single to Seiya Suzuki and an opposite-field double to Candelario.
That left the ninth to Alex Lange, who earned his 19th save.
"We have different routes to get wins when we have a lead," Hinch said. "But these guys don't care when they pitch. They all want each other to do well. That's pretty special when it works out that way."
The Tigers were without shortstop Javier Báez. He was scratched before the game, the team saying he was under the weather. A flu bug has been going through the clubhouse the last week or longer.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
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