The Tigers are on a roll with a 8-0 victory over the Rays on Tuesday night.
It’s unclear what has gotten into the Tigers, but I’m not mad at it, and I don’t think any of their fans are either. While the Tigers did cut it very close in Monday night’s game against the Rays, winning by a single run, there were two solid takeaways: they won the game, and they scored 10 runs, two things that had been sorely lacking in games over the past month. The game was a refreshing change of pace as we got to see
the team’s bats come alive and it genuinely looked like the guys were having a ton of fun out there. They did need to go deep into their bullpen, though, which leaves a lot up to the uncertainty of the baseball gods for the remaining games of the series. They would have Jack Flaherty on the mound, who has been consistently inconsistent, having strong outings for about three innings before his command starts to slip. But Rays’ starter Steven Matz also struggles with command, so it might be a game of who loses the strike zone first.
In the top of the first, Gleyber Torres opened things up, pleased to be back from a lengthy stint on the IL, and he announced his presence in a big way by hitting a leadoff home run to start the game.
The Tigers weren’t willing to settle for just one run, though. Matt Vierling tripled, then a Dillon Dingler sac fly brought Vierling home. Two outs followed, but the Tigers had an early lead to defend now. Flaherty was looking good in the home half, getting the Rays out in order, but his struggles don’t usually manifest until the fourth inning, so we’ll see how this develops.
Detroit continued to swing a hot bat in the second with a leadoff double from Spencer Torkelson, followed by a home run from Wenceel Perez, who is now 3-for-3 against Steven Matz.
With one out, Zack Short doubled, then with two outs, Vierling doubled to bring him home.
That was it for Matz, who was pulled before getting through two innings, and replaced by Casey Legumina who came on to get the final out of the second. In the home half, Richie Palacios got a one-out double, but the Rays failed to bring him home.
With two outs in the top of the third, Spencer Torkelson singled, but the Tigers weren’t able to convert the runner. In the home half, Hunter Feduccia got a leadoff walk, followed by a single from Ben Williamson. Three outs followed, though, and the Rays were left scoreless.
Cam Booser was the new pitcher in the fourth, making his debut with the Rays. Short got a one-out single, but was eliminated in a force out off the bat of Torres. A final out ended the inning with the Tigers once again unable to convert their baserunner. Palacios got a one-out single in the home half, and Ryan Vilade doubled, but it wasn’t enough to score the runner. Two outs followed, though Feduccia attempted to challenge the call via ABS, the strike call was confirmed though, to end the inning.
The Tigers went 1-2-3 for the first time in the game in the fifth. In the bottom of the inning, Junior Caminero got a two-out single, but was left stranded.
In the sixth, Booser was swapped for Ian Seymour. Spencer Torkelson took a leadoff walk, followed by a Wenceel Perez single. Zach McKinstry then walked to load the bases. A sac fly by Short brought one run in, then the Rays intentionally walked Gleyber Torres. This time a sac fly from Vierling brought in a run and when it was all said and done, the Tigers were up 7-0. In the bottom of the inning, Yandy Diaz got a leadoff walk and that was the end of the day for Flaherty. His final line for the game was 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K on 94 pitches. Compared to some of his recent outings, it was a really solid performance by Flaherty. Enmanuel De Jesus replaced him and induced a double play, then collected the final out of the inning in short order.
Riley Greene wasted no time extending the Tigers’ lead with a home run to open the seventh inning. It would be their only run of the inning, but it was a pretty good one.
In the bottom of the inning, the Rays went down in order.
Bryan Baker was the new Rays pitcher for the eighth and he held the Tigers in check, taking them three-up, three-down. The Rays likewise went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.
In a bit of a white flag move from the Rays, position player Ben Williamson was on to pitch in the ninth. The gambit paid off early as Williamson turned out to be a groundball-inducing wizard, keeping third baseman Caminero busy. Riley Greene worked a walk, but a line drive right at Caminero then ended the inning. The Rays went down in order in the bottom of the ninth, and the Tigers came away with a shutout win.
