BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) — A rookie’s mental mistake proved costly for the Arizona Diamondbacks in their 4-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.
Ender Inciarte, potentially the tying run, singled in the seventh but was picked off by catcher Bryan Holaday. David Peralta then walked and Aaron Hill singled.
But instead of Inciarte scoring the tying run, he was in the dugout lamenting his error.
“A big mistake,” Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said.
Inciarte acknowledged as much.
“I messed up,” Inciarte said. “I thought it was a 3-2 count. I was going to go and when I came back I thought I had a chance to get back to the bag but my foot got stuck in the ground. Either way I messed up. I should be aware of the situation.”
Holaday said he had noticed that Inciarte was “pretty far off” first.
“He’s a pretty fast guy,” Holaday said, “but I noticed he didn’t get back immediately. I made the throw after I saw that.”
Detroit’s Justin Verlander pitched into the seventh inning and said he felt the best he has all season. He credited some pictures of himself that he looked at “literally 10 minutes” before warming up.
Verlander said he “came across a couple of pictures,” one from earlier in his career and one from this season. He was looking to see if he had changed his grip at all. Instead, he noticed a difference in his arm action and made an immediate adjustment when he warmed up in the bullpen.
“I went out and tried to throw the way that I used to throw,” he said.
The results, Verlander said, were immediate and carried over into the game, when he held Arizona hitless through the first three innings.
“It felt like I was able to throw the way I want,” he said. “Really, the first time all year that I’ve been able to locate my fastball as well as I would like to.”
Miguel Cabrera drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning with a booming single just below the home run line on the Chase Field porch in left-center.
Torii Hunter had a two-run homer in the second, his fifth in the last 15 games. Austin Jackson added a solo shot. Both were off starter Vidal Nuno (0-2).
“That is a tough lineup there,” Nuno said. “If you leave balls up they can do some damage.”
Verlander (9-8) allowed three runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings to win for the third time in his last four starts. He struck out five to pass Hal Newhouser into third place on the Tigers’ all-time list (1,772).
Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless ninth for his 20th save in 25 opportunities.
There seemed to be as many Tigers fans as there were for the Diamondbacks, maybe more.
“It felt like I was pitching in Detroit,” Nathan joked, “except there weren’t as many boos.”
Gerardo Parra homered for Arizona.
Nuno, in his third start since coming to Arizona in the trade that sent Brandon McCarthy to the New York Yankees, went 4 2-3 innings, allowing three runs and seven hits.
“The consistency wasn’t there,” Nuno said. “That is why I exited the ballgame so early. “
NOTES: The Tigers’ career strikeout leaders are Mickey Lolich (2,679) and Jack Morris (1,980). … In Tuesday night’s second game of the series, the Tigers will send Ric Porcello (12-5, 3.39 ERA) to the mound against Arizona’s Chase Anderson (6-4, 4.64). … Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt doubled to boost his major league-leading total to 38. Cabrera leads the AL with 36. … Arizona had won a season-high four consecutive home games.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
