The Detroit Tigers suffered their first loss of Grapefruit League play Friday afternoon, falling to the Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 in Lakeland, Fla.
The Tigers dropped to 6-1 in exhibition play with the loss, while the Phillies improved to 4-3. Max Scherzer started for Detroit and pitched 3.1 shutout innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out two. By the time Scherzer left the game, he had been staked to a 3-0 lead thanks to two home runs by Eric Patterson. The first home run was a solo shot in the first, while the other was a two-run blast in the bottom of the third.
However, the Phillies scored three runs in the top of the sixth, and four more runs in the seventh. All of the runs were charged to either Adam Wilk or David Pauley, the latter of whom was charged with a blown save and the loss.
The Tigers stay in Lakeland to host the Washington Nationals Saturday at 1:05 p.m. before playing a pair of split-squad game against the Phillies and Houston Astros Sunday afternoon.
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