DETROIT — There are two pitches rookie right-hander Beau Brieske might very well regret — both ended up in the seats and provided the margin of defeat in the Tigers' 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday.
But on a whole, he made a most favorable impression in his big league debut. He gave up three hits, struck out three and walked two in five innings, closing it out with a clean, seven-pitch fifth.
With starters Casey Mize and Matt Manning on the injured list, the Tigers purchased Brieske’s contract from Triple-A Toledo before the game.
The Tigers’ 27th-round draft pick in 2019, Brieske came out attacking, mostly with high-spin, four-seam fastballs. Of his 73 pitches, he threw 43 four-seamers, sitting at 94.6 mph (touching 97) but with a lot of zip through the zone thanks to an average spin rate of 2,404 rpm.
He also mixed in 14 change-ups, his best secondary pitch. The two pitches that got him hurt were a mislocated slider and curveball.
Rockies leadoff hitter Connor Joe hit Brieske’s second pitch of the game, a spinning slider, into the Tigers bullpen in left field. Then in the third inning with a runner on, he hung a curveball to left-handed hitting Charlie Blackmon. That one ended up in the right-field seats.
Those three runs proved to be fatal. The Tigers, after banging out 20 hits and 13 runs in Game 1, were subdued by Rockies lefty Austin Gomber. He shut the Tigers out for six innings, allowing four singles and striking out eight.
He was frustrating Tigers hitters with three multi-directional secondary pitches (slider, change-up and knuckle curve). The knuckle curve was especially effective, getting five misses on seven swings.
Austin Meadows made it close when he tripled in two runs in the bottom of the ninth but Harold Castro struck out swinging to end it.
Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario fanned three times, twice waving at the curve.
One of the four Tigers hits was delivered by Miguel Cabrera, No. 3,002. He’s now five behind Al Kaline.
