Baddoo flashes XBH prowess in loss to Bucs

DETROIT -- The sight of Akil Baddoo speeding around second base on his way to third as his second-inning line drive rolled to the fence in left-center field sent a chilly Comerica Park crowd into a frenzy Thursday afternoon. Fans were on their feet again in the seventh when Baddoo’s drive to left seemed headed over the left-field fence.

For a brief moment it was, until Philip Evans brought it back. The Pirates’ left fielder didn’t catch it, but by redirecting it back onto the field as he collided with the fence, he held Baddoo to a double instead of a go-ahead home run. And as Baddoo stood on third base at inning’s end, Evans had essentially saved a run and preserved a tie game.

The Pirates pulled ahead with two runs the next inning, sending the Tigers to a 4-2 loss in the rubber match of the three-game series. In the process, Detroit got another glimpse of Baddoo’s potential along with his learning curve.

“I think we have to let Akil sort of have this one step forward, mini-steps back, a couple steps forward, and he's developing nicely,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He's handling the moments pretty well. And yeah, I think he's learning a lot. Everybody's coming at him. I see Niko [Goodrum] talking to him all the time. I’ve got my coaching staff all over him. We’ve got the advanced scouting stuff. I mean, he's getting a lot thrown at him. So he's processing it great.”

Less than three weeks into the season, Baddoo has had the highs of a historic start, with the best slugging percentage ever by an American League player in his first eight career games, and the lows of an 0-for-11, eight-strikeout series in Oakland last weekend. He ended his 0-for-15 slump with an RBI double Wednesday night, legging out an extra base on a ground ball to center, but put on a better show in the series finale.

Baddoo’s second-inning RBI triple off a Mitch Keller curveball was a reminder of why he ranks in the fastest 5% of Major League players in sprint speed, according to Statcast. He took off around first as the ball skipped past a diving Bryan Reynolds in left-center, and the 22-year-old rookie briefly raised hopes he might add an inside-the-park home run to his feats before heading into third base standing up.

Baddoo was stranded at third, a theme to be repeated later. After Baddoo fouled a bunt attempt on the first pitch of the seventh, trying to set up a leadoff baserunner in a 2-2 game, he connected with a Duane Underwood Jr. fastball and sent it deep to left.

Replay review confirmed that Evans kept it in the park, but the Tigers still had the go-ahead run in scoring position.

JaCoby Jones, whose fifth-inning homer tied the game, sent a sinking liner to center two batters later. Reynolds made enough of a charge at it that Baddoo hesitated before turning for third. He might not have been sent regardless, but the split-second pause made it an easy call for third-base coach Chip Hale.

“He wants to score,” Hinch said of Baddoo, “and his instincts told him to hold up there.”

Baddoo and Hale had been talking in front of the Tigers' dugout while the Pirates made a pitching change. Hinch said that was about encouraging him to be aggressive and steal third base if the defense wasn’t going to pay attention to him.

But reliever Sam Howard retired Robbie Grossman and Willi Castro to strand Baddoo at third again. Baddoo had one more chance leading off the bottom of the ninth, battling Pirates closer Richard Rodríguez to a full count before suffering his second strikeout of the game, both on fastballs.

With Grossman as the designated hitter Thursday, the Tigers had a unique lineup with their three outfielders at the bottom of their batting order. Baddoo and Jones combined for four hits and both RBIs.

Jones added a highlight-reel-worthy catch, running down Todd Frazier’s 412-foot drive to center in the eighth.

Baddoo finished with his first multihit game in nine days. His .750 slugging percentage ranks third highest in AL history for players in their first 14 career games, trailing only Red Sox infielder Michael Chavis (.771 in 2019) and Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez (.759 in '16).