Tigers squander late lead, lose on walk-off single by Mets

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on May 13, 2026

Published in Baseball

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NEW YORK — Walked off again.

Carson Benge singled home the free runner in the bottom of the 10th inning, sending the New York Mets, last place in the National League East, to a 3-2 win at Citi Field Wednesday.

The Tigers, 7-18 on the road and 19-24 on the season, have lost seven of their last eight games. They managed one hit after the fifth inning and didn't move the free runner in the 10th, let alone score it.

It was another imminently winnable game that slipped through their hands.

Framber Valdez was stout in his first start after serving a five-game suspension for intentionally throwing a pitch at Boston’s Trevor Story. He was charged with two runs in 6 2/3 innings, throwing 106 pitches.

He was one out away from finishing the seventh inning with the 2-1 lead intact. But he walked No. 9 hitter Luis Torrens and gave up an opposite-field bloop single to Carson Benge.

Valdez gave way at that point to righty Kyle Finnegan. Bo Bichette hit another jam-shot bloop into shallow center field to tie the game.

Until that walk to Torrens, Valdez was in control.

He gave up a run in the second inning and a couple of singles and a fielder’s choice ground out. A diving stop by third baseman Kevin McGonigle on the RBI grounder by Tyronne Taylor helped mitigate the damage.

He dodged more trouble in the third. Two seeing-eye singles put runners on the corners with no outs. Valdez got Bichette to tap a ball to first baseman Spencer Torkelson who threw out the lead runner Torrens at the plate.

Valdez struck out Juan Soto, getting him to chase a slider in the dirt. The inning ended when Mark Vientos long fly ball to center landed in Matt Vierling’s glove at the wall.

That was it. Valdez didn’t allow a hit after the third inning until Benge’s bloop.

He gave up five hits total, all singles. The average exit velocity on the 18 balls put in play by the Mets was a meek 84.9 mph.

The Tigers, though, didn’t give him much offensive support.

Riley Greene, who came into the game with the fourth highest OPS in baseball since April 11 (1.078) and wrapped three singles on the night, got the Tigers off and running with a two-run single in the first inning.

But things quickly shut down. Mets right-hander Christian Scott allowed traffic on the bases but no more runs through 4 2/3 innings. The Tigers left two runners on in the second and fourth innings.

Right-handed reliever Huascar Brazoban pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings and the Tigers stranded two runners in the top of the eighth and another runner at second in the ninth. They were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

This game had some bizarre moments.

With two outs in the sixth, Zach McKinstry rolled a ball toward first base that almost literally stopped at the bag. Vientos had trouble picking it up and then ended up kicking it out of his glove, giving McKinstry a free base.

McKinstry gave it back, though, getting picked off first.

In the bottom of the sixth, Brett Baty took a called strike and stepped out of the box. Home plate umpire Junior Valentine thought he was challenging the call. Baty immediately protested, saying he was just adjusting his helmet.

Valentine ordered the challenge and the call was upheld. Replays showed Baty did not tap his helmet.

The Tigers ended the seventh inning by cutting down Benge technically trying to steal home. Runners were at the corners and Bichette broke for second. Catcher Dillon Dingler threw to the bag at second but shortstop Zack Short caught the ball running toward home and threw a strike back to Dingler at the plate.

Mets' Juan Soto was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning. He'd fouled a ball off his right instep earlier in the game and wasn't moving around well.

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