Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Struggles continue in relief role
Rotowire
Maeda allowed three runs on three hits across two innings of relief in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jays. He struck out one.
Maeda was effective in his first relief appearance of the year when he tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in the final game before the All-Star break. However, his second appearance did not go as well, with a Vladimir Guerrero two-run home run accounting for a big chunk of the damage. Madea has struggled throughout his first season with the Tigers, as he's now sitting with a career-worst 7.07 ERA across 71.1 innings. It seems unlikely that the veteran will rejoin the rotation anytime soon, and his fantasy value remains low given his current role and ineffectiveness. However, Reese Olson (shoulder) did leave Saturday's start early, which could open up a spot at least in the short term if he's forced to miss any time.
Maeda came out of the bullpen and threw 3.2 shutout frames during Detroit's walk-off win over the Dodgers. He allowed one hit and struck out five batters.
For the first time this season, Maeda worked a bulk-relief role and the results looked great. He threw 34 of 55 pitches for strikes and generated 11 whiffs. He was crushed for 15 runs in just 6.1 innings over his previous two outings. Maeda will enter the second half without a clear role in Detroit. He's registered an unsightly 6.88 ERA and 55:23 K:BB through 69.1 frames.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Likely to work in bulk relief
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Maeda is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind starter Beau Brieske in Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
After Maeda delivered a 7.26 ERA and 1.58 WHiP through his first 16 starts of the season, manager A.J. Hinch announced Thursday that the veteran right-hander will work out of the bullpen "for the foreseeable future." Before being moved to the bullpen Maeda had been lined up to start Sunday's series finale, but the Tigers haven't yet added a formal replacement in the rotation for the 36-year-old. Triple- A Toledo pitcher Matt Manning could eventually step in as the Tigers' new No. 5 starter after the All-Star break, but Detroit will first rely on its bullpen to get through the final game of the first half. Brieske hasn't covered more than three innings in any of his 31 outings between the majors and Triple-A this season, so he'll likely be on a short leash before turning the ball over to Maeda at some point. Maeda hasn't been used since his last start Tuesday versus the Guardians, so he's the freshest arm in the Detroit bullpen.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Heading to bullpen
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Maeda won't make his next scheduled start Sunday versus the Dodgers and has been moved to the bullpen "for the foreseeable future," Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Maeda's demotion to the bullpen comes after he was lit up for six earned runs over 2.2 innings during Tuesday's 9-8 loss to the Guardians, bringing his season ERA to 7.26 over 65.2 frames. The Tigers signed the 36-year-old to a two-year, $24 million contract this winter with the hope that he would bring some experience and stability to the middle of a young rotation, but Maeda has fallen well short of the club's expectations. As a soft-tossing right-hander who doesn't make many bats miss at this stage of his career, Maeda wouldn't seem to be a candidate to see a dramatic spike in his performance while working out of the bullpen, so the Tigers could relegate him to lower-leverage or mop-up situations. Hinch didn't immediately name a replacement in the rotation for Maeda on Sunday, as the Tigers are instead expected to treat their final game before the All-Star break as a bullpen day, per Woodbery.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Yields six runs in no-decision
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Maeda allowed six runs on seven hits, a walk and two strikeouts over 2.2 innings in a no-decision Tuesday against the Guardians.
Maeda's rough stretch continued with yet another short outing, and he's now allowed 15 runs over his last two starts, a career high over a span of that length. The 36-year-old has allowed six or more runs on five occasions this season, tied with Kevin Gausman for most in MLB. Maeda's ERA has also jumped to 7.26, which is the highest by an American League pitcher with a minimum of 50 innings in 2024.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Suffers ugly loss Thursday
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Maeda (2-5) allowed nine runs on nine hits across 3.2 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Twins. He walked three and struck out three.
It was another ugly performance for Maeda, who saw his season ERA climb to 6.71. Outside of a clean first inning, the veteran allowed multiple runs to score in each of his other frames. Maeda had a decent 2023 campaign for these same Twins, posting a 4.23 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 104.1 innings, but he hasn't carried that over into his first season in Detroit. The righty lines up to start again Tuesday against the Guardians, though at this point he can't be trusted by fantasy managers.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Yields two runs
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Maeda allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over 5.1 innings in a no-decision Friday. He struck out four during the loss to the Angels.
Maeda was tagged with a two-run shot by Luis Rengifo in the first inning but settled in for a solid outing. In six starts since returning from the injured list, Maeda has registered a 4.71 ERA. That's helped lower his season mark to 5.76 alongside a 45:19 K:BB through 59.1 frames. Maeda hasn't earned a win since May 24 and hasn't finished at least six innings since May 1. He's in line for a road start against his former team, the Twins, next week.
Maeda (2-4) took the loss against the White Sox on Saturday, allowing three runs on eight hits and no walks with five strikeouts over 4.2 innings.
Maeda tossed three scoreless innings before allowing two runs in the fourth. He then yielded two hits in the fifth before being pulled at 92 pitches, and an inherited runner scored on an RBI single by Andrew Vaughn. Maeda has not registered a quality start since May 1 and has only completed five or more innings in six of his 13 starts this season. The 36-year-old owns a 6.00 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 41:18 K:BB over 54 innings and lines up to face the Angels next week.
Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Gives up four runs, takes loss
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Maeda (2-3) was the pitcher of record in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Astros. He gave up four earned runs on five hits and two walks over five innings.
The Astros jumped on Maeda early, plating a run on a pair of base hits in the first inning. Maeda initially looked as though he might not come back for the bottom of the second, as he was struck in the right leg by an 86.7-mile-per-hour Jon Singleton line drive that Maeda gathered and threw to first base for the final out of the first. Maeda limped off the mound and returned for the second, but he served up a three-run home run to Jose Altuve to put the Tigers in a bigger hole. On a positive note, Maeda was able to save the Detroit bullpen a bit, as he faced the minimum nine hitters over the next three frames to get through five innings. Still, the damage was done early, and Maeda has now given up at least four runs in five of his 11 starts this season. The veteran righty will take a 6.02 ERA into his next start, which will likely fall next weekend versus the White Sox.
Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Allows one run in short start
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Maeda (abdomen) allowed one run on one hit across four innings and did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 5-4, extra-inning loss to the Nationals. He walked four and struck out five.
Maeda was dialed in other than the four walks, which matched a season high, and he managed to lower his ERA a bit to 5.89. The righty threw only two pitches in his last outing Wednesday before departing with right abdominal discomfort, but he wasn't forced to miss any turns through the rotation. The Tigers were still understandably cautious with Maeda, as he tossed just 77 pitches Tuesday. The veteran should be able to go a bit longer in his next scheduled start, which is penciled in for Sunday against the Astros on the road.
