The Tigers saw a different opponent for the first time since Spring Training in Lakeland, Fla., and came out swinging. Niko Goodrum saw them first and came out patient.

While Goodrum’s home run to straightaway center at Great American Ball Park was part of back-to-back-to-back homers in Tuesday’s 9-7 exhibition loss to the Reds, he also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch. If not for a sliding catch by former teammate Nicholas Castellanos, Goodrum would have reached base safely four times.

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It’s a product of his expected new role as the Tigers’ leadoff hitter. It’s also a product of the experience he carries into his third season in Detroit, now with a full-time position at shortstop.

“I’m just trying to get a pitch I can drive more than get a pitch I can hit, and there’s a difference,” Goodrum said. “In doing that, you’ll start to lay off a few more things. That’s just been my approach, trying to get something that I can drive, not just hit the ball and put something in the gap. With that mindset, I feel like you can lay off some borderline pitches, some tough pitches.”

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Though manager Ron Gardenhire didn’t label his lineup Tuesday as his everyday batting order for the season, it reflected ideas he has in mind as Summer Camp draws to a close. One of them is Goodrum’s approach and his fit in front of a retinkered heart of the Tigers’ lineup. New arrivals Jonathan Schoop and C.J. Cron batted second and fourth, respectively, with Miguel Cabrera in between. It raises the value of Goodrum working counts and getting on base.

“I don’t sit and tell Niko any of that. He understands it,” said manager Ron Gardenhire. “He’s one of the guys that does see pitches, is not afraid to see pitches, and he’s going to let it fly at times too. I just want him to be himself, do the best he can. He’s not afraid to take a walk if they don’t give him anything, but he’s ready to hit from the first pitch.

“We’re just kind of ad-libbing our lineup and running these things through. I have all the confidence in the world in him.”

Goodrum’s second-inning home run came on a 3-1 fastball after he took Reds starter Nick Lodolo’s first four pitches -- the first three off the plate, then a 3-0 fastball on the corner. The 3-1 pitch came over the middle. Before that, JaCoby Jones turned on a 2-0 fastball and hit it midway up the foul pole in left. After Goodrum, Schoop hit a hanging slider for a no-doubt homer to left.

Detroit hasn’t hit three consecutive homers in a game since May 20, 2017. The only member of that trio that is still a Tiger is Cabrera. Detroit hit just 149 homers as a team last year, last in the American League and less than half the totals of the Twins and Yankees. The Tigers hit 35 in Spring Training before the coronavirus shutdown.

The homers staked Detroit to a 5-0 lead before the Reds rallied on homers from Freddy Galvis, Tucker Barnhart and Shogo Akiyama, whose three-run shot off David McKay tied the game. Eugenio Suárez, a former Tigers prospect who was traded to Cincinnati after the 2014 season, gave the Reds the lead with a drive off former Tigers first-round Draft pick Beau Burrows in the eighth inning.

Former Reds player Brandon Dixon, who led the Tigers with 15 home runs last season, hit a ninth-inning solo shot off ex-teammate Raisel Iglesias.

“The ball flies here,” Gardenhire said. “This is one of those parks where if you get a good pitch and you hit it good, it goes flying. We were putting some swings out there tonight early, and they put some good swings out there.”

The slugfest took its toll on plenty of pitching lines, including that of Detroit starter Dario Agrazal, who gave up three runs on two hits in three innings. Bryan Garcia and Gregory Soto pitched perfect innings of relief before Kyle Funkhouser held the Reds scoreless on one hit in the seventh.

Up next
Michael Fulmer will face an opposing team for the first time in 22 months, making his final tuneup of Summer Camp on Wednesday as the Tigers and Reds play a 6:10 p.m. ET exhibition game at Great American Ball Park. Fulmer is working his way back from Tommy John surgery in a bid to rejoin the Tigers' rotation to open the season. He could pitch next Monday’s home opener against the Royals.