Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Pitches in middle relief Thursday
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Maeda struck out one over 1.2 perfect innings out of the bullpen in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Padres.
Maeda hasn't made a start since July 9, but he's essentially maintained a rotation spot over the past two months while frequently operating as a bulk reliever. However, the right-hander was deployed in middle relief Thursday, with starter Casey Mize working five-plus innings before Maeda entered the game with one out and a runner on first base in the bottom the sixth inning. With Mize back in action following a recent stint on the 60-day injured list and with Brant Hurter and Ty Madden looking to have secured back-end spots in the Detroit rotation, Maeda appears poised to be used as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Earns third win Wednesday
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Maeda (3-6) allowed two unearned runs on four hits across 4.1 innings of relief to earn the win in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Angels. He walked two and struck out five.
Maeda followed opener Mason Englert, who worked the first two innings of the game. Maeda mostly pitched well, with his only major blemish being a home run by Mickey Moniak in the sixth inning following a Trey Sweeney error. The veteran righty allowed six earned runs over five innings in his last appearance, and he has an ugly 6.14 ERA overall this season, so Wednesday's effort was a pleasant surprise. It will take more sustained success for fantasy managers to trust Maeda, however, and he remains a risky option despite the step in the right direction.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Could work in bulk relief Wednesday
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Maeda is expected to be used as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Mason Englert in Wednesday's game against the Angels, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Maeda hasn't made a start since July 9, but he's essentially maintained a spot in the rotation since the All-Star break while working as a bulk reliever. He's turned in a 4.55 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 26:2 K:BB over 29.2 innings across his seven relief appearances, with his ERA inflated by a rough showing this past Thursday against the Cubs in which he coughed up six runs across five frames. After Wednesday's appearance, Maeda could move into more a flexible multi-inning role out of the bullpen with the Tigers having recently added Triple-A Toledo call-up Ty Madden to the rotation. Additionally, Casey Mize (hamstring) appears poised to return from the 60-day injured list this weekend to give the Tigers another rotation option.
Maeda (2-6) took the loss Thursday against the Cubs, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out five.
Maeda was hit early and often while serving in bulk relief Thursday, allowing a grand slam to Miguel Amaya in the second frame and surrendering a pair of doubles later in the outing. Since the start of July, Maeda has stumbled to a 7.60 ERA with a 31:8 K:BB across 36 innings. Though he may follow an opener again, Maeda is tentatively scheduled to pitch against the Angels early next week.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Allows one hit in bulk role
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Maeda didn't factor into the decision Thursday against Seattle, allowing just one hit and one walk over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out five.
Maeda's certainly shown improvement since he started working in bulk relief -- he's posted a 2.84 ERA across 19 innings in his last four appearances. Overall, the veteran right-hander is 2-5 with a 6.18 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 71:25 K:BB across 90.1 innings this year. Maeada's currently slated to start next week on the road versus the Cubs, though he could work behind an opener again due to his recent success.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Decent showing as bulk reliever
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Maeda allowed two runs on four hits and struck out two without walking a batter over 4.2 innings of relief versus the Giants on Friday. He didn't factor in the decision in the Tigers' 3-2 loss.
Maeda continues to stretch out in anticipation of a return to the rotation -- he threw 72 pitches (46 strikes) Friday, up slightly from 69 pitches in his previous outing. The veteran right-hander had a decent performance but couldn't sustain a 2-0 lead, allowing a run to score on a sacrifice fly in both the seventh and eighth innings. Maeda is now at a 6.59 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 66:24 K:BB over 84.2 innings across 21 appearances (16 starts). He's projected to make his next appearance at home versus the Mariners, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him follow an opener at least one more time.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Working way back into rotation
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Maeda covered 3.2 innings out of the bullpen in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Royals in 11 innings. He gave up three earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four.
Maeda has now made each of his last four appearances out of the bullpen, submitting a 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 14:1 K:BB in 14.1 innings during that stretch. The Tigers shifted the veteran right-hander to a relief role after he struggled to a 7.26 ERA through 15 starts, but manager A.J. Hinch suggested Friday that Maeda will eventually rejoin the rotation, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Maeda is essentially stretched out for a starter's workload at this point; he tossed 69 pitches behind opening pitcher Tyler Holton in Saturday's contest.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Serves in bulk role Sunday
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Maeda allowed one run on five hits across five innings of relief in Sunday's 5-0 loss to the Twins. He struck out four.
It was a bullpen game for Detroit with Alex Faedo starting, so the team turned to Maeda for some length in relief. The veteran delivered a strong performance, which was much needed after he had allowed 18 runs over 12 innings in his last four appearances. Maeda is still sitting with a rough 6.72 ERA overall, and he has virtually no fantasy value if he's not starting games for the Tigers. Maeda could reenter the rotation if one or both of Jack Flaherty and Tarik Skubal get traded before Tuesday's deadline. Maeda will be tough to trust if that happens, however, considering his struggles as a starter earlier this season.
Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Struggles continue in relief role
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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.
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.
