Tork's evolution continues in crucial end-of-game battle

DETROIT -- Spencer Torkelson has shown a vastly improved approach against fastballs since rejoining the Tigers from Triple-A Toledo on Aug. 17. On Thursday, he received his toughest test of all in that regard -- a matchup with Angels flamethrower Ben Joyce and the Tigers’ six-game winning streak potentially on the line.

These are the tough matchups the Tigers will face down the stretch, especially if they’re in contention. These are the matchups Torkelson, in particular, will face as one of the more formidable power threats in Detroit’s lineup.

Joyce had been looming in the Angels’ bullpen at Comerica Park through most of the eighth inning of the Tigers’ 3-0 loss while left-hander José Quijada faced what had been a lefty-heavy top half of Detroit’s lineup. Right-handed pitch-hitters Andy Ibáñez and Matt Vierling walked and singled, respectively, before Colt Keith’s two-out walk -- his latest skilled at-bat off a lefty -- loaded the bases and put the potential tying run on.

The long, slow walk Halos manager Ron Washington took to the mound for the pitching change belied the speed that awaited Torkelson as Joyce ran in from the bullpen.

“Just gotta play pepper,” Torkelson said of approaching Joyce’s fastball, which has neared 105 mph this season according to Statcast.

It was one of the biggest at-bats of Torkelson’s return, and a gauge of his adjusted approach to the heat. And yet, it wasn’t the fastball that beat him, but Joyce’s “offspeed” pitch, a mid-90s sinker that acts like a changeup.

Torkelson compared it to facing Pirates phenom Paul Skenes, who plays off his 100 mph fastball with a mid-90s “splinker” -- a combination splitter/sinker that can fill the role of a changeup thanks to the difference in velocity, even when it’s at the speed some pitchers throw their fastballs. Torkelson fanned once on the splinker and once on the fastball when he faced Skenes on May 29, a few days before he was optioned to Toledo.

“[Joyce] throws a billion [mph] at the end of the day, and then he’s got the little split-change, sinker, one-seamer, whatever he’s doing, to come off of 103,” manager A.J. Hinch summarized. “And so you’re covering a little bit of both. I mean, he’ll throw a slider occasionally, but he’s at the back end because of the velocity and mentality and his aggressiveness.

"It’s a tough matchup for anybody, as you can see. … It’s no secret. Even though you know what you’re dealing with, it’s really, really hard to time him up and stay disciplined and deal with his sinker.”

It’s a particularly tough matchup for Torkelson, who hit just .178 off fastballs before he was sent down but is .385 with two homers off heaters since his return.

Joyce alternated velocity with each pitch to Torkelson, starting with a 94 mph sinker that seemed to dive off the plate as Torkelson fouled it off. Torkelson didn’t offer at the 102.7 mph heater off the plate, but he swung and missed at the sinker on the inside edge for a 1-2 count.

“When you’re expecting 103, the 95 mph changeup thing, that’s a good pitch if he can land it where he wants,” Torkelson said. “It’s definitely a good pitch, and it keeps you off the riding four-seam at 103. You just gotta pull your hands in and try to get under it. …

“So you have to respect the heater, and stay on top of that and be short to it. And then when you see that little splinker, you have to try to get under it.”

That’s the conundrum, and it might have given Joyce the split-second difference in getting away with the ensuing 103 mph heater over the plate. Torkelson was on it but fouled it off to the right side.

Joyce went back in with the sinker, a tick farther inside than two pitches earlier. Torkelson swung over it and dropped his bat in frustration. He stood up and took questions after the game, tipping his cap to some nasty pitches.

“Definitely I missed a good pitch to hit,” Torkelson said, “and then he also made pitches. That’s what good pitchers do.”

Staying loose will be key as the Tigers face an altogether different challenge this weekend with a Red Sox pitching staff that has offspeed and breaking pitches as a staple of its arsenal. Detroit will have more triple-digit velocity awaiting them next week in Oakland with Mason Miller, but the Tigers will also see some spin for the next few days. If they can adapt and produce, they’ll have a good chance to enter September with something extra to play for.