'We'll be fine': Tigers not sweating funk during 3-game slide

TAMPA -- For openers, Saturday afternoon’s first inning was problematic for the Tigers. After falling behind by four runs, they never recovered and were defeated, 8-3, against the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

But as the Tigers confront only their third three-game losing streak of what has been a special season, and as they search for positives to close out a three-game series before exhaling on Monday’s off-day, manager A.J. Hinch calmly projected the road ahead.

“[Sunday], 12 noon, come watch us if you’re here,’’ Hinch said. “If you’re not, watch us on TV. We have a good team. We’ll be fine.’’

The Tigers could’ve gotten through the first inning just fine, too. Left-hander Brant Hurter, the opener who tried to set up bulk pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long with a clean beginning, set a strong tone. Then, it rapidly unraveled as the Rays took a 4-0 lead.

With one out, Hurter struck out Brandon Lowe, but the sinker ricocheted off the glove of catcher Jake Rogers, allowing the batter to reach first base. Undaunted, Hurter struck out Junior Caminero swinging before slipping into a zone where nothing went right.

Jonathan Aranda slammed a double. Christopher Morel drew a full-count walk. Josh Lowe coaxed his own full-count bases-loaded walk, forcing home a run. José Caballero was hit by a pitch and another run scored. For good measure, Taylor Walls drilled a two-run single on Hurter’s 31st pitch.

“Giving Hurter an extra baserunner [on the passed ball] is painful when you look back at it,’’ Hinch said. “The inning turned into a mess.’’

“I botched [the passed ball] and it hit the backstop, which is not what you want from me,’’ Rogers said. “It’s kind of a crucial point of the game. and it obviously led to a longer inning. I think [Hurter] kind of got out of the zone a little bit, maybe trying to be too fine.’’

That put Gipson-Long into a do-or-die spot. With the Tigers coming off Thursday’s rain-delayed marathon doubleheader and Friday’s 14-8 defeat against the Rays in which they used five pitchers, Gipson-Long needed to provide stability and length.

He did.

Gipson-Long went 6 1/3 innings (68 pitches). He allowed a trio of solo homers (Danny Jansen, Caminero, Morel), but that hardly mattered.

“Solo home runs are obviously not something you want, but they’re not going to beat you in the long run,’’ Gipson-Long said. “Today was just like a start, although it’s not a traditional start. I know I’ve got to go out there and eat up innings, get to the latter part of the game for my team. If I can stay out there for five or six innings, it’s going to put my team in a good spot.’’

Gipson-Long missed all of last season with Tommy John surgery. On June 4, he made his first Major League appearance in 615 days after grinding through right elbow and left hip rehabilitations.

“That was big for him,’’ Hinch said. “We want to get him going and keep getting him [deeper] into games. I think the word is out that we pound the strike zone early. The Rays were first-pitch swinging from 12:10 [game start] on, so it was good that Sawyer got into the seventh inning.’’

The Tigers’ offense was relatively quiet against Rays starter Ryan Pepiot (5-6), but a bright spot was an eighth-inning pinch-hit appearance from Jahmai Jones, who worked a 13-pitch at-bat that included eight foul balls against Rays reliever Mason Montgomery. Jones ultimately delivered an RBI double.

“[Jones] fills his role really well, and he is always prepared,’’ Hinch said. “He put together a really good at-bat. It’s key to put pressure on teams, even in defeat. We’re trying to create maybe a little bit of an advantage for tomorrow by putting up good at-bats late and getting them to get guys up or use them [out of the bullpen].’’

“The little things matter every single day,’’ Jones said. “That’s what I’m trying to focus on. We had guys in scoring position. My job is to try to bring them in as best I can and honestly not try to do too much. They called on me today, so I was just trying to bring it to the next guy and keep the train rolling.’’