Detroit Tigers score: Trade deadline addition Chris Paddack allowed four runs on six hits to his old team in a 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Detroit Tigers right-hander Chris Paddack matched up against the Minnesota Twins.
It was Paddack vs. his old team.
Paddack — a 29-year-old whom the Tigers acquired from the Twins before the trade deadline — surrendered four runs in a 6-3 loss to the Twins on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in the second of three games at Comerica Park. He lasted just 57 pitches in his second start for the Tigers since the trade.
He owns a 4.91 ERA in 23 starts.
The Tigers (66-49) also sent right-handed reliever Rafael Montero to the mound for the first time since acquiring him from the Atlanta Braves before the trade deadline.
Montero gave up two runs in the fifth inning.
The Twins set the tone with three runs against Paddack in the first inning, sparked by a misplay from center fielder Matt Vierling. There were three hits in a row with two outs: Ryan Jeffers hit a double with a 107 mph exit velocity, Kody Clemens hit a double with a 107.6 mph exit velocity, and Luke Keaschall hit the first home run of his MLB career with a 102.4 mph exit velocity.
The double from Jeffers should've been caught by Vierling, as the ball carried over his head after he took a bad route. After the three hits, the Twins had a 3-0 advantage in the first inning.
The Twins extended their lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning, when Trevor Larnach destroyed a Paddack's cutter — left in the middle of the strike zone — for a home run.
Larnach punished the mistake with a 109.4 mph exit velocity.
Paddack allowed four runs on six hits and zero walks with zero strikeouts across four innings. He threw 77.2% of his 57 pitches for strikes, but he didn't miss bats and gave up hard contact.
The Twins averaged a 94 mph exit velocity on 18 balls in play — an improvement from Paddack's Tigers debut, when the Arizona Diamondbacks averaged a 96.4 mph exit velocity on 18 balls in play. Additionally, Paddack generated just one whiff on 32 swings for a 3.1% whiff rate against the Twins. He recorded his lone whiff with a four-seam fastball.
The MLB average for exit velocity is 89.4 mph.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Troy Melton in the bullpen
The Tigers were down by five runs, but rookie right-hander Troy Melton emerged from the bullpen for his first relief appearance of his MLB career.
The 24-year-old took the mound as a starter for his first two games in the big leagues, but the Tigers moved him to the bullpen to accommodate for the additions of starters Paddack and Charlie Morton at the trade deadline.
Melton tossed two scoreless innings.
He walked two batters, but he didn't allow a hit and registered the Tigers' first strikeout of the game. He struck out Jeffers swinging with a 97.8 mph fastball for the second out in the seventh inning.
His fastball averaged 97.6 mph.
It maxed out at 99.3 mph.
Too little, too late
For the Twins, right-hander Zebby Matthews allowed one run on five hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
He threw 86 pitches.
The Tigers scored their first run on doubles from Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter against Matthews in the third inning, cutting the Twins' lead to 3-1.
In the eighth, Jahmai Jones drove in two runs against right-handed reliever Cole Sands with a two-out triple that rolled past the diving center fielder, making it 6-3. The Tigers, though, were shut out in the ninth.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers score: Chris Paddack hit hard by Twins in 6-3 loss
Category: Baseball
