The Tigers bid an early good night Saturday to four of their flock, all courtesy of home plate umpire Mike Everitt’s thumb, during a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Comerica Park. “That’s all I say, if you can just man up and say it, then what am I going to say?” he said.
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Most big-league managers would have still held on to a sliver of hope as Friday night’s game between the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers came down to its last few moments. Ausmus would not speculate on whether Martinez, who was replaced by Tyler Collins as designated hitter, could be facing any supplementary discipline for the action.
J.D.: ‘You’re having a bad day today’.
Oh, I also enjoyed seeing things like Kaleb Cowart hit a two-run dinger, his first homer of the season (2nd of career), Brett Oberholtzer making his Angels debut and giving us a glimpse of a possible 2017 in the process ( he only made it three innings but at least he only allowed one run?), and C.J. Cron also chipping in with an RBI single. I told him afterward, I was like, ‘Everyone has bad days, Mike.
Martinez exchanged words with Everitt, placing his hands behind his back, presumably to take a nonaggressive stance while arguing his case, but the theatrics only intensified from there.
“It was just simply that we didn’t like some of the pitches being called strikes on us, and it felt like we weren’t getting them called when our pitcher was on the mound”, Ausmus said.
Everitt spoke briefly to a pool reporter following the game. “I think there was a number of players in the lineup that were frustrated with some of the pitches that were being called”.
Things got even worse in the fifth inning when Tigers hitting coach Wally Joyner and Ausmus were ejected after arguing that the catcher was influencing Everitt’s ball and strike calls.
“I’ve never been ejected in a game”, Martinez said. However, the Tigers manager said he was not anxious about Everitt working Sunday’s series finale against the Angels, or any subsequent games this season.
“All of the players, as well as the manager and coach, were warned, and sometimes a couple of times or twice”, Everitt said. Detroit is off next Thursday and manager Brad Ausmus said RHP Michael Fulmer probably will have his next start pushed back. “I will be filing my report with the commissioner’s office in NY”.
“You knew that was going to be a battle with Frankie and Albert out there”, Scioscia said. “As far as his command he was up in the zone and got behind a lot of hitters, needed a lot of pitches to get through five”.
After getting ejected from the game, Martinez continued to verbally berate umpire Mike Everitt until manager Brad Ausmus and outfielder J.D. Martinez escorted him into the dugout.
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Justin Verlander pitched into the eighth inning and Justin Upton homered for the fourth time in five games as the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 on Friday night. Sanchez has recorded a quality start in each of his four home starts since the All-Star break.
