Tigers fall in extras in Ureña's return from IL

DETROIT -- The Tigers are looking for victories down the stretch, aiming for a chance at their first winning season in five years. They’re also looking to evaluate young players for next season, when their expectations are higher.

This is the balance that manager A.J. Hinch and the front office are trying to balance in the final weeks of the season. As the Tigers battled Blue Jays rookie starter Alek Manoah on a steamy Saturday night at Comerica Park, rallying to force extra innings before watching Vladimir Guerrero Jr., fly into home plate for the go-ahead run in the 10th in a 3-2 Detroit defeat, the trickiness of that balance was on display.

The Blue Jays were upstart contenders last year and are still in a playoff chase this year. They are where the Tigers want to be. The Tigers have some moves they need to make to get there, and some evaluations they need to make to figure out where they need help and where they can improve in-house.

The expectations are already being set. When Hinch was asked before the game about potential offseason additions, he didn’t mince words.

“If this place, the Tigers' organization, does a really good job, we’re going to re-establish ourselves as a winning franchise and develop a winning culture,” he said. “And if you want to be a part of it, then you’ll come. And if you don’t, we’ll beat you.”

Some of Saturday’s decisions along the way pertain only to winning now, while others have longer-term implications:

Ureña effective in return from injured list
José Ureña’s struggles put his rotation spot at risk before going on the injured list in mid-July with a groin strain. But his progress the last few weeks, combined with the Tigers’ desire to watch the innings on their young starters, led him back to Detroit in a hybrid starter-reliever role.

Ureña rewarded them in a piggyback start Saturday with three scoreless innings on three hits and no walks with two strikeouts, including a strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play with Guerrero at the plate to end an early threat. His command was markedly improved from his early-summer struggles.

He’s a free agent at season’s end, and his role in a 2022 rotation would be iffy. But the Tigers like his work ethic.

“Some of the best stuff he's thrown in a long time,” Hinch said. “Obviously he's been out a bit, but even before he got injured his stuff was wavering a little bit. I thought his fastball was good. I loved his changeup, his confidence in his slider.

“He's worked his tail off to rehab and be back. We weren't sure if he was going to be able to make it [back] just given his timeline and what he had to do to get himself right. We stole an outing away from him in the rehab process because we needed those innings in the big leagues. He came up and delivered and did his part.”

Foley gets a test
The Tigers brought back hard-throwing reliever Jason Foley from Triple-A Toledo on Friday for his second Detroit stint to see where he might fit in their bullpen plans for next year. His first outing back was a good test, replacing Tyler Alexander with a runner on first with two outs and a 1-0 deficit against Bo Bichette.

Foley’s first pitch skipped to the backstop, moving Randal Grichuk to second. Bichette sent Foley’s 2-0 fastball through the right side for an RBI single. Another ground-ball single from Guerrero threatened more, but Foley regrouped to retire Alejandro Kirk.

“We need him to get right-handed hitters out,” Hinch said. “That’s what he’s going to do if he’s going to pitch at this level. Obviously I didn’t want Bichette to face a lefty. So it was more about Bichette, less about Foley. But he’s got nasty stuff, got a couple ground ball base hits by two of their better hitters. But yeah, it’s the big leagues. This is what’s going to happen when you come up and get an opportunity.”

Short thrown out in extras
Eric Haase showed sneaky speed bolting down the first-base line in the seventh inning to avoid a double play and allow Robbie Grossman to score the tying run. But after he fouled out to end the ninth, the Tigers wanted a little more speed on second as their potential tying run to begin the bottom of the 10th. On came Zack Short, in the kind of situational role he might have to fill next year if the Tigers add a shortstop this offseason.

Short took off from second on Harold Castro’s first-pitch grounder to short but was thrown out at third. It was an aggressive move to try to get the tying run in position to score without a hit. It went against the traditional thought of not making the first out at third, or moving to third on a grounder to the left side. Hinch didn’t question the decision as much as the execution.

“I think there was a momentary pause that cost Zack a little bit,” Hinch said. “He tried to get into the throwing lane. Bichette made a throw right over his shoulder. So, trying to advance is the read. I think he was a tick delayed in going as he read the bounce.”