DENVER -- In Monday's series opener, Tigers reliever Warwick Saupold faced Nolan Arenado in the sixth inning of a tight game, eventually striking out the Rockies' slugger with the bases loaded in a game Detroit went on to win.
It was a different story when these two faced each other in the seventh inning of Tuesday's game at Coors Field.
This time, Arenado crushed a three-run home run as part of a four-run frame, a 436-foot- shot, his 30th of the season, as the Rockies went on to win, 7-3.
"Right now, I'm frustrated," Saupold said. "Everything's inconsistent right now after the All-Star break. I got to keep coming out, working hard every day, and try to turn things around, because right now it's not acceptable."
On Tuesday, it came down to Arenado at the plate again, with runners on first and second and two outs. Each night, the key at-bat was prefaced by a walk to last year's National League batting champ, DJ LeMahieu.
"I got ahead with a first-pitch breaking ball, like I did the previous night," Saupold said. "And then I thought the fastball was going to be in, and I didn't get it in far enough. He made me pay."
"It was huge for us, especially after a tough game yesterday," Arenado said. "Obviously, it feels good to hit a homer in that situation. It feels good to homer in any situation, but especially then."
The situation started out looking eerily similar to the previous night. The Tigers had tied the game in the top of the seventh on a Michael Mahtook two-run homer, and Michael Fulmer yielded a tie-breaking sacrifice fly to Carlos Gonzalez before manager Brad Ausmus went to Saupold to face the heart of the Rockies' order again, and, ultimately, a rematch with Arenado.