'Really good' Schoop gets back on track

CHICAGO -- The Tigers re-signed Jonathan Schoop over the winter hoping to keep a veteran power threat in their lineup from last year. It took a lot of work for that hitter to re-emerge, but he’s finally back.

On a night when every ball in the air seemed like a threat to clear the fences at Guaranteed Rate Field, nobody in a Tigers uniform was a bigger threat than Schoop, whose two homers, four hits and five RBIs helped lead the Tigers back from a five-run deficit. Detroit and Chicago combined for a half-dozen home runs, but not until Yermín Mercedes’ walk-off single in the ninth was the outcome decided in a 9-8 Tigers loss.

Crazy things happen between these teams in this ballpark. When the weather warms up like this, the craziness usually involves dingers. But Schoop’s night continues a trend that has been going for nearly a month.

While the Tigers suffered slow starts up and down their lineup for the first month-plus, few loomed larger than Schoop, who entered play May 15 batting .197 (25-for-127) with four extra-base hits, 35 strikeouts and a .497 OPS. He has reached base safely in 18 of 19 games since then, hitting .368 (28-for-76) with seven homers, 18 RBIs, nine walks and 15 strikeouts. His average exit velocity has risen in turn.

“He’s been really good,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “and this is exactly why we wanted him back in the organization, on our team. He was so behind at the beginning [of the season] and couldn’t quite play catch-up fast enough, but we’re seeing the good version of him is very impactful. Even some of the near misses, even some of the swings inside the at-bats are getting really good. The discipline’s been pretty good.”

It wasn’t simply luck turning, nor was it a natural return from a late arrival at Spring Training. Schoop put in the work for it.

“This is my job,” he said. “When things don’t go the way you want, you have to do extra so you can produce, so you can help the team. I did it. Unfortunately today, we didn’t get a win.”

The pitching duel Spencer Turnbull and Dallas Keuchel had going was a distant memory by the time the White Sox took advantage of three infield errors for a five-run fifth inning. Schoop had one of those errors at first base on a Leury García sacrifice bunt.

Schoop got back one of those runs in the next inning, leading off the sixth with a line-drive over the left-field fence at 111.2 mph. By the time he came back up in the seventh, Keuchel was gone, and the White Sox bullpen had loaded the bases. Robbie Grossman’s sacrifice fly had brought in a run before Schoop crushed an Evan Marshall changeup deep to left-center.

Suddenly, what had been a five-run Detroit deficit was a 7-6 game. Eric Haase’s two-run homer, a 427-foot drive to center, three batters later slugged the Tigers back in front.

Schoop had four hits, two home runs and five RBIs, tying career highs in all three categories while continuing his month-long tear following a slow start. Haase, who had another of the errors, hit his fifth home run in his last 14 games since his mid-May promotion from Triple-A Toledo. Willi Castro, the other errant defender, had three hits.

Haase’s homer, a 427-foot drive to center, gave the Tigers an 8-7 lead in a game they once trailed by a 6-1 deficit. Yasmani Grandal’s second homer of the night tied it, and would’ve slugged Chicago back in front had center fielder Derek Hill not doubled up José Abreu trying to tag up from first base on a fly ball.