The Tigers crushed five home runs, two by catcher Dustin Garneau, the No. 8 hitter who had hit one home run in the last year-and-a-half.
The much-too-often bad work by the bullpen was as bad as it gets Friday, 11 runs and 14 hits in 5 2/3 innings.
The Tigers scored six runs in the sixth and four in the seventh against the Reds bullpen on their way to 18 hits. And the Reds contributed to Detroit’s run-happy night with shoddy defense. errors by Gutierrez and third baseman Mike Moustakas.
It was Cincinnati’s fifth loss in six games and they lost a game in the wild card standings to St. Louis, which crept to within 1 1/2 games of the Reds by beating Milwaukee. Philadelphia lost to Miami and remains 2 1/2 behind the Reds. San Diego was hosting Houston on the west coast and moved into a tie with the Reds, pending the outcome of its game.
Detroit hit Gutierrez hard, four runs and four hits in 3 1/3 innings, Jonathan Schoop homered in the third and Jeimer Candelerio homered in the fourth. When Victor Reyes doubled with one out, manager David Bell lifted Gutierrez. Tony Santillan struck out the next two and pitched a scoreless fifth, holding the deficit to 4-3.
“I was a little bit surprised,” Gutierrez said of his quick hook. “I saw behind me that the bullpen was warming up and I said, ‘OK, I just have to continue with my own game.’ Just because the bullpen is warming up I’m not going to get uncontrollable with what’s going on.
“After the double (catcher) Tyler Stephenson came up to me and said, ‘Are you doing all right?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go do this.’
“Then I saw the manager come out,” he added. “He was doing his job. Then I felt a little frustrated as any pitcher is who gets taken out of the game.”
Shortly thereafter, the carnage began.
“Vladdy didn’t have his best stuff, didn’t have his fastball,” said Bell. “On the homers, we just didn’t see any of his pitches that we’ve seen when he was good.”
Of the home runs, Gutierrez said, “The home run to Jeimer Candelerio I tried the throw a change-up and it seemed like he was waiting for it. And the other home run (Jonathan Schoop) was a curveball and it seemed like he was waiting on that one, too. It just didn’t happen tonight.”
Then came Justin Wilson, Mychal Givens, Jeff Hoffman and Amir Garrett. In two innings, the Tigers scored 10 runs on 11 hits.
The Tigers scored six runs on eight hits in the sixth off those three pitchers, including Garneau’s first homer, a two-run blast.
They scored four more in the seventh off Hoffman, punctuated by Garneau’s second home run, a solo rip, and a three-run blast by Robbie Grossman.
They added another run on two hits in the eighth off Garrett.
The Reds had a chance to take command of the game in the fifth. The trailed, 4-1, when Jonathan India drilled a two-run home run, his 18th. And they had runners on third and second with one out, a chance to tie or take the lead.
But Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez both struck out to end the inning and the Tigers went on their rampage.
“At that point, we’d climbed back into the game,” said Bell. “We still had a lot of game left. Our guys have been good with runners in scoring position, but you’re not going to get it done every time. Not just not getting those guys in, but the next inning became a totally different game.
That’s what happens when that next inning is a six-run inning by the opponent, followed by a four-run inning.
It took a position player, Max Schrock, to muzzle the Tigers. He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, including a strikeout of Schoop, who had a home run and three singles against Reds pitchers.
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