September 2nd, 2024
Jason Beck
@beckjasonDETROIT -- The football jerseys were hanging in each locker of the Tigers clubhouse at Comerica Park, waiting for the road trip. With the NFL season starting up later this week, the Tigers made this upcoming trip their football-themed journey, with jerseys for all and helmets for a few.
As the Tigers readied for the West Coast and a Labor Day matinee in San Diego after taking two of three from the Red Sox with a 4-1 win on Sunday, the theme seemed fitting. What Detroit is doing in the American League standings isn’t quite a two-minute drill, not with four weeks left in the season, but it has the feel of a fourth-quarter comeback.
The Tigers’ eighth win in their past 10 games -- and second in a row after a heartbreaking extra-inning loss to the Sox on Friday night -- moved them to within a half-game of the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card chase, both chasing the Twins and Royals for the final spot. What was once a quest to reach .500 and earn the Tigers’ first winning season since 2016 has taken on loftier aspirations, even as the Tigers try to focus on individual games.
“We’re having a lot of fun,” said Spencer Torkelson, whose two-run homer Sunday put the Tigers ahead for good. “Winning is obviously fun, so it makes it a little easier. I thought we rebounded great. We weren’t even stressing about the [Friday] loss. We rebounded well and we know that we’re going to find different ways to win.”
The Tigers won Sunday with just three hits for the second time in 18 days after having not done it once since May 4, 2022. They hadn’t produced four or more runs with three hits or fewer in a win since June 10, 2006.
In the process, a young group of players still trying to develop is taking games from clubs with immediate expectations. The Tigers entered this series having won six of seven from the White Sox and Angels. The Red Sox entered with MLB’s second-best road record this season.
Here are three things we learned from the Tigers this series:
The Greene-Tork-Carp trio is back
The Tigers had big hopes for Parker Meadows, Riley Greene, Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter atop the order going into the season. Those seemed dashed by midseason with Meadows and Torkelson in Triple-A Toledo and Carpenter on the injured list with a stress fracture in his back. Now they’re back, and they produced all of Sunday’s offense.
Carpenter has a .990 OPS since his return a few weeks ago, including two clutch at-bats off Red Sox left-handers. His three-run homer Friday off Brennan Bernardino helped the Tigers force extra innings. On Sunday, he produced Detroit’s first baserunner with a 12-pitch walk off 44-year-old left-hander Rich Hill, who replaced starter Cooper Criswell after four perfect innings.
“That was an unbelievable at-bat,” said Torkelson. “It looked like he was giving Carp his best stuff, and he kept battling.”
Torkelson, who got his first Major League hit off Hill two years ago, saw a curveball out of his hand and drove it off the back of the Tigers’ bullpen beyond left field. His eighth home run of the season was his fourth in his last 11 games, matching his total from the season’s first two months before he was optioned to Toledo.
An inning later, Greene -- who entered the day talking about a new month after batting .205 in August -- turned on the first pitch he saw from Zack Kelly and drove it down the right-field line for his 20th home run of the season, driving in Meadows after his leadoff single. Greene is the ninth Tiger to post a 20-homer campaign at age 23 or younger, and the first since Torkelson last year.
Playing the pitching matchups
After the Red Sox won Friday with a three-run 10th inning, the Tigers gave up two runs over the next two games. Not coincidentally, most of those innings came from lefties. While Tarik Skubal’s eight-inning gem on Saturday followed the trajectory of his season, Brant Hurter held Boston to six singles over five innings of bulk relief for Sunday’s win. Rookie right-hander Ty Madden was originally slated to start until a few days ago. He’s expected to pitch Monday against the Padres instead.
“They threw a lot of lefties in the lineup, which [manager] A.J. [Hinch] thought they might,” Hurter said. “That’s my strong suit. Throwing sinkers, I get balls on the ground.”
Bullpen back in order
With Casey Mize back, and Hurter and Madden settling in, the Tigers’ bullpen is transitioning back to more traditional work. Friday’s three-run 10th inning off Shelby Miller and Tyler Holton was their only damage. Holton rebounded to save Saturday’s win. Jason Foley did the same Sunday.
