Matt Manning was almost a part of another Tigers combined no-hitter

It was almost deja vu for Matt Manning.

Last season Manning was the starter for the only combined no-hitter in Detroit Tigers history as he, Jason Foley and Alex Lange held the Toronto Blue Jays without a hit on July 8 at Comerica Park. That time Manning was pulled with two out in the seventh inning.

And after not even making the Tigers opening-day roster to begin the season, Manning found himself the starter in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the the New York Mets at Citi Field. 

He was called up to start the nightcap due to rainouts of Detroit's games and those of its Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, where Manning began the season.

And just like last July 8, Manning did not allow a hit, walking four and striking out three in 5 2/3 innings, before being pulled in favor of Tyler Holton by manager A.J. Hinch. 

The Tigers led 1-0 at the time of his removal.

"It wasn't his best but we still got exactly the results that we could have dreamed of," Hinch said via www.mlive.com. "If those are the days that he's grinding, that's pretty good. We'll take those results every time."

Holton got the final out of the sixth inning and retired the Mets in order in the seventh. But lead-off batter Harrison Bader blooped a Bolton pitch into left field to break up the no-hit attempt in the eighth.

However, the Tigers pitching staff had accomplished more than a standard no hitter.

Bader's single was New York's first hit since the fifth inning of the first game, a span of 13 innings. That's the longest the Mets have been held without a hit in their history.

Detroit got out of the eighth still ahead 1-0. Former Tiger Zach Short sacrificed Bader to second but Holton got the next batter to fly out. Alex Faedo then came in to strike out Francisco Lindor to end the inning.

But Pete Alonso led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run to tie the game at 1-1. Faedo then walked Brett Baty. He was sacrificed to second and Tyrone Taylor followed with a line single down the left-field line to bring in Baty with the winning run.

Alonso's home run broke a 25 2/3 innings scoreless streak by the Tigers relievers.

Faedo (0-1) was the loser and another former Tiger, Reed Garrett (1-0), got the win after pitching three scoreless innings and striking out four.

Detroit only had five hits in the loss and got its run in Javier Baez's RBI single in the second.

Detroit won the opener 6-3 in 11 innings.

Rookie second baseman Colt Keith drove in the winning run with his first major-league extra-base hit, a double, and Gio Urshela added a two-run single. Riley Greene's solo home run in the eighth tied the game 3-3.