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Phoenix — Cody Clemens was 4 for 34 when he came to the plate in the sixth inning of a 3-3 game on Saturday night. There were two runners and he ran into Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Joe Mantipley.
Clemens is a left-handed forward and in his short time in the major leagues, he only had five at-bats against left-handers. On the other hand, Mantipley never allowed a left-handed hitter a home run in 96 games.
Guess what happened.
Clemens launched a 1-2 curve ball into places in right field, his first major league home run, breaking the tie and sending the Tigers to a 6-3 victory over Arizona, their second straight win at Chase Field.
“Good time for a first,” Clemens later said, fresh and clean after a holiday baby powder, protein shake, and yogurt shower. “It was delicious. I never got there. I’m trying to figure out what my role is in this team… I got a roster application tonight, so I was going to try and do my best. can help us win.”
It was his fifth start since 10 June. From then until Saturday, he only had 20 cymbal appearances. He is one of the first players on the field, doing extra work every day on defense, spending as much time in the cage as he can.
BLOCK ACCOUNT: Tigers 6, Diamondbacks 3
He even stood at the plate while pitchers threw the bullpen to fake at-bats.
“I worked my hardest every day, doing my best to be in the lineup,” he said. “It’s good to see it’s paying off.”
Clemens must have been a little upset that he didn’t make it to any of the games in Boston where his father Roger Clemens was so successful and where Cody spent a lot of time growing up.
Manager AJ Hinch was certainly aware of this.
“He was grinding,” Hinch said. “He never had a bad relationship. He didn’t play much last week. I didn’t invite him to the Fenway and all his family was there. But he just bided his time and came up with a big move.”
“When a guy gets into the big leagues and contributes to a win, that’s when you feel like you’re in the big leagues. He’s due tonight.”
It was a good night for the kids.
Rookie Riley Green made a sensational catch in the sixth inning with an extra-base hit from Buddy Kennedy. The ball flew into the slot right center, leaving Kennedy’s bat at 99.8 mph. He walked 349 feet and had an expected .470 batting average, according to Statcast.
Green tracked him down in between and caught him during a full Superman-style dive.
“I have a really good jump, but I didn’t know if I would get it until I caught it,” Greene said. “I knew Rey-Rey (right fielder Victor Reyes) would be there to support him. He gave me a chance to give it my all. .”
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Later in the seventh, Green parried a shot from Josh Rojas with a left-center gliding short.
“It was amazing,” said Clemens, who has witnessed countless exciting games by Green in the minor leagues. “He is just an incredibly talented player. Did it surprise me? No. Not surprised. He’s just an incredible player.”
Another rookie, Alex Faedo, made his 10th start of the season. How many times has he made it to the big leagues this year, before, say, August or September?
Put your hand down, you’re lying.
Faedo, in his first full year since Tommy John’s surgery, did not train live until mid-February. He started his season at Low-A Lakeland. He only made one start (five innings) in Triple-A Toledo before the Tigers, with four-fifths of their rotation on the injured list, called him out.
It’s best to keep that perspective when evaluating his four-inning performance on Saturday.
He went through the first three innings, showing a lively slider and a four-seam fastball that hit 96 mph. Then in the fourth, he began to spray the fields and lose his balance on the mound.
“He struggled to find anything,” Hinch said. “He kind of slipped out of the strike zone and that’s a bad recipe that goes through the top of their order.”
Faedo ended up walking two, conceding a two-run 411-foot home run to David Peralta and an RBI double to Dalton Varshaw. He came out of the inning without any problems, but he had 75 assists and Hinch gave him a quick hook.
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Perhaps they need to get used to.
“He’s breaking away from Tommy John,” Hinch said before the game. “Remember, he started in Lakeland. I think we should give him a little leash here. I’m proud of him. He is talented and can do a lot of good here. But I will always keep an eye on him.”
Faedo had been beaten pretty well in his previous two starts, allowing 11 runs and 17 hits in 7 1/3 innings, and hitters enjoyed his four-seam fastball (.349, .628).
“He’s also a bit tired in my opinion,” Hinch said. He won’t say it, but I will. When we freshen it up and get to halftime, you’ll see the best fastball.”
The Tigers will have a hard time brushing up any of their pitchers before the All-Star break. Starting Tuesday, they will play 19 games in 17 days. The difficult task is to get through this stretch and still keep a close eye on the workload of Faedo and fellow rookie Bo Briske.
A wake up attack would certainly help ease the pressure a bit.
Harold Castro, who started from first base to give Spencer Thorkelson the day off, had three hits, including a triple RBI. Javier Baez landed a couple of shots and scored a goal.
The Tigers, with little help from defensemen, scored twice in the fifth round to tie at 3. Tucker Barnhart walked and Victor Reyes doubled. Both scored from Kennedy’s mistake at second base.
Greene hit the grounder with the broken bat, and the broken bat and ball flew at Kennedy. He didn’t catch either, and both runners scored.
Miguel Cabrera also moved up another notch on the all-time hit list. His single at number seven was #3053, with Rod Carew at number 27.
And one more review about the “Tigrov” bullpen. Covering the last 3 2/3 innings on Friday night with no hits, he blocked the last five innings.
After Tyler Alexander had two scoreless innings, Joe Jimenez struck out two in the seventh. It was Jimenez’s eighth consecutive multi-strikeout game. It is the third longest such series since 1901.
Drew VerHagen was the latest to do so in 2019.
Michael Fulmer posted his 12th straight clean sheet in eighth.
Gregory Soto rounded it up with two goals and a 14th save.
“It was a lot of weapons, but it was worth it when you win,” Hinch said.
cmccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky
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