Detroit Tigers avoid hit on Wenceel Pérez's single in 4-1 loss

HOUSTON — The Detroit Tigers, less than 24 hours after producing a season-high 19 hits, couldn’t get a single hit against the Houston Astros in Sunday’s series finale at Minute Maid Park .

At least not until the eighth inning.

With two outs in the eighth, Wenceel Pérez spoiled the Astros’ combined no-hit performance with a single to center field against right-handed reliever Ryan Pressly. The Tigers still lost 4-1 to the Astros, losing two of three games in the series and seven of their final 10 games.

The Tigers (34-37) haven’t won a series since early June, losing three in a row, but, on the bright side, the Tigers haven’t been unscathed since September 29, 2013.

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Right-hander Ronel Blanco, who threw a no-hitter on April 1 in his season debut against the Toronto Blue Jays, completed the first seven innings without allowing a hit. The 30-year-old issued three walks – consecutive in the fifth inning – and accumulated eight strikeouts, throwing 94 pitches.

In the seventh inning, Gio Urshela hit a bouncer against third baseman Alex Bregman. It would have been a bang-bang play at first base, but Bregman threw the ball away. The official scorer, however, ruled the play a throwing error, rather than an infield single, keeping the hit alive for the Astros, and Blanco retired Akil Baddoo on a long fly to center.

The Astros replaced Blanco with Pressly to open the eighth. Pressly retired the first two batters he faced before throwing consecutive curveballs to Pérez, both in the middle of the strike zone.

Pérez, a rookie playing his 51st game, placed second curve into center field for a two-out single to break the no-hitter with four outs to play.

Left-handed reliever Josh Hader allowed back-to-back one-out hits in the ninth inning against Mark Canha (single) and pinch hitter Andy Ibáñez (double) before ending the game. Ibáñez’s double flew off the wall in left field and allowed Canha to score from first base, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

The Tigers were held to three hits and three walks in Sunday’s loss, scoring one run or fewer for the 17th time in 71 games this season. Riley Greene, who went 4-for-6 with six RBIs in Saturday’s win, finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Maeda puree

Right-hander Kenta Maeda struggled again.

The 36-year-old, who signed a two-year, $24 million contract this offseason, allowed four runs on five hits and two walks with one strikeout in five innings, throwing 94 pitches. Maeda struggled to locate his pitches in the strike zone.

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The Astros scored all four runs in the first two innings.

In the first inning, Yordan Alvarez delivered an RBI single for a 1-0 lead on a full slider below the strike zone with two outs. In the second inning, Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer for a 4-0 lead on a cutter in the zone with two outs.

Before Altuve’s homer, Maeda walked Chas McCormick – the nine-hole hitter in the Astros’ lineup – on four pitches.

Maeda worked around a leadoff single in the third inning and a leadoff walk in the fourth inning, escaping those situations by inducing double plays.

He has a 6.02 ERA in 12 starts.

A chance to score

The Tigers loaded the bases with three straight two-out walks in the fifth inning: Urshela (on five pitches), Baddoo (on six pitches) and Carson Kelly (on six pitches).

But Zach McKinstry pursued an outside changeup and flew to center to block the runners.

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