Well this game had everything. A nice early lead, defensive miscues from rookie defenders, bad bullpen work, heroics, more shaky bullpen work, and finally 12th inning heroics as the Tigers staved off the sweep with an 11-6 victory over the Twins very late on Wednesday night.
The Tigers were looking to avoid a sweep in Minnesota on Wednesday night. More than that, the team really needs to get the taste of two debacles to start the series.
Kevin McGonigle grounded out off of right-hander Dean Kremer
to start the game. Hao-Yu Lee bit on a curveball away and struck out. Colt Keith lined a single into right center field, but Riley Greene popped out.
Drew Anderson’s outing started off like a continuation of last night’s game. He drilled Luke Keaschall with a fastball on the second pitch of his outing. Brooks Lee flew out to Max Clark, but Kody Clemens pulled a hard ground ball to first and Colt Keith took it off the heel of the glove for an error. Anderson bounced back with some good fortune as a high changeup to Ryan Jeffers induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Eduardo Valencia saw a cutter up and away to start the second inning and he drilled it up the right center field gap for a long single. Brett Callahan bit on a good splitter and struck out, but Max Clark got a cutter in on his hands and ripped it down the right field line for a double. Valencia could only go first to third, but the Tigers had two in scoring position and one out for John Peck.
Peck worked a full count as Kremer pounded him with cutters, and he finally hung one a bit. Peck hammered it off the wall in left center field for a two-run double, collecting his first major league hit and his first RBIs all in one good swing. 2-0 Tigers.
Zach McKinstry grounded out, moving Peck to third with two outs for McGonigle. However, the Rookie, as opposed to the rookies, popped out to end the frame.
Anderson got Bell and Larnach to ground out to start the bottom half. The latter play went to Keith at first and was sharply hit, but again it kicked off Keith’s glove for a moment behind the bag, and Anderson had to break late to first to cover. He collected a quite aggressive throw from Keith to collect the out. Anderson turned to the curveball against Royce Lewis to get ahead, and then locked him up with a fastball for strike three.
Kremer bounced back in the third. Hao-Yu Lee fouled tipped one into the glove, Keith flew out, and Greene worked a 2-0 count but then fouled off a 1-2 fastball and a pair of splitters got him chasing and whiffing to end the frame.
Anderson got ahead of Kaelen Culpepper 0-2 with a pair of good changeup to start the bottom half. The young shortstop put up a fight but Anderson whiffed him with a curveball. He got ahead of the talented, recently called up rookie outfielder, Walker Jenkins 0-2 as well, but a high fastball and then one just off the plate evened the count after Jenkins challenged a called strike correctly. Anderson missed twice more and walked him.
Anderson got ahead of Keaschall 0-2 and Jenkins tried to steal second. He was called safe, but it was a pretty good throw from Valencia and the Tigers challenged. It turned out Lee got the tag down on him before he touched second base. We’ve been critical of Valencia’s work behind the dish, but he’s clearly working on it. He posted a 1.84 pop time to cut down Jenkins, which is excellent.
Instead of taking advantage and getting out of the inning, Anderson tailed a fourseamer way back inside from Valencia’s target and hit Keaschall again, this time in the hand. A pair of good kick changes got ahead of Brooks Lee 0-2 as Keaschall looked to run. A grounder to second ended the inning with Anderson at 45 pitches. The stuff looked good. The fastball command is still not good enough.
Eduardo Valencia hammered an 0-2 Kremer offering off the right center field wall for a double to start the fourth. In a 1-1 count to Callahan, Kremer dropped a splitter just onto the upper corner of the zone away. Another one down drew the whiff. Max Clark was having none of Kremer’s games, calmly watching as the right-hander fell behind 3-0, threw a cookie that Clark was taking all the way, and then walked him. So it was two on again for John Peck. The rookie shortstop fouled off a pair of high 1-2 fastballs, He then got a splitter and drove it on a line to Jenkins in center just in front of the warning track. McKinstry grounded out to Culpepper, and they’d stranded a pair.
Anderson’s maddeningly mix of good stuff and shoddy command finally got him in trouble in the bottom half. He walked Kody Clemens and Jeffers smoked an RBI double to make it a 2-1 game. The right-hander bounced back to whiff Bell, and Larnach grounded out to Keith, who fired to Anderson on the run again to get the second out. A first pitch changeup to Lewis was right on the edge and Anderson challenged it correctly himself, and then whiffed him on a changeup to end the inning.
Kremer walked McGonigle to start the fifth. A pitch to Hao-Yu Lee bounced away momentarily and the Rookie took second base just ahead of the throw. Lee paddled a single up the middle and McGonigle scored to make it 3-1. Nice piece of hitting there.
Derek Shelton came out to get Kremer, replacing him with lefty Kody Funderburk. Elite baseball name, btw. AJ Hinch pinch-hit Spencer Torkelson for Keith, and Tork lined out to left. Riley Greene torched a hot one-hopper into right center field and Jenkins had to slide just to knock it down and keep it from going to the wall. Lee roared around first to third to score for a 4-1 lead.
A wild sweeper that Funderburk lost his grip on went to the backstop and Greene took third with Valencia at the dish. Unfortunately Valencia whiffed on a sinker for strike three, and Ben Malgeri hit for Callahan and was frozen by a pretty nasty sweeper for strike three.
Anderson was at 63 pitches to start the bottom of the fifth. He gave Culpepper a shave with a first pitch fourseamer that sailed. He came back with changeups for strikes, and a curveball got a ground out to Peck. Walker Jenkins fouled off a pair of heaters and then got undressed by a truly evil changeup to strike out. A good curve popped up Keaschall and we were on to the sixth.
Max Clark’s production against lefties has been pretty awesome so far, and he continued against Funderburk. He faked a bunt first pitch, and then in a 1-2 count smoked a line drive up the left center field gap and beat feet for second. Peck slashed a grounder through the right side for an RBI single. 5-1 Tigers. McKinstry tried to go the other way and lined out to Lee, but Peck got back to first in time to avoid being doubled off. A passed ball on a breaking ball to McGonigle got Peck to second base, but the Rookie flew out routinely to left. So, it was up to Hao-Yu Lee, and he wasn’t going to see a lefty. RHP Travis Adams entered to deal with him instead, and got a ground out to end the inning.
Anderson induced a little checked swing bunt from Lee to start the bottom half. He bobbled it along the first base line but stayed with it and got the out. Clemens lifted a dying quail to right field and McKinstry made a slick sliding catch for the second out. Jeffers pulled a chopper to McGonigle and he rushed it a bit and threw wildly to first. Bell smoked a one-hopper into right for a single, and so it was first and second with two outs. Valencia came out to give Anderson a breather and settle him down, needing just one out to wrap up a really good outing. Instead, a hanging changeup got scalded to the wall in right field, and the Tigers paid for McGonigle’s error as Jeffers scored. Surprisingly, they held Bell at third, and that was it for Anderson as Tyler Kinley entered and got Lewis to ground out, ending the threat.
Anderson finished with 5.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K on the night. Good results, but poor fastball command still wasted a lot of pitches in this one.
Veteran Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman, acquired by the Twins in August, took over next and he struck out Torkelson, Greene, and Valencia to start the seventh. Kinley got Culpepper to fly out to start the bottom half, and then whiffed Jenkins with a really good slider, and then carved up Keaschall with the slider as well.
Lefty A.J. Minter was on for the Twins in the eighth. Malgeri got jammed but fought it off softly into center field for a leadoff single. Max Clark scorched a line drive to Culpepper, who caught it and dropped it, perhaps trying to create an opportunity for the double play. The second base umpire decided to just rule Clark out. Peck chased a changeup fading away for the second out. Malgeri stole second and the throw bounced into center field to get him to third with McKinstry in a 1-2 count, but McKinstry flew out to left as Drew Sommers warmed in the visiting bullpen.
Brooks Lee was up first in the bottom half, and battled with a bunch of foul balls after falling behind in the count. Sommers came back with another slider but left it up and Lee served it into left center for a single. The big lefty then drilled Clemens in the elbow with an errant sinker. Everything else was working the Tigers way so far, so it made sense that Sommers would suddenly have a mess of an outing.
He fell behind the dangerous Jeffers 3-1, and then got a whiff on a good fourseamer at the top of the zone and dotted another at the bottom, locking Jeffers up for strike three. So, a double play ball would get the Tigers out of this jam. Instead, Bell got jammed but his excuse me swing was enough to pull a grounder through the left side. It was hit hard enough that the Twins had to hold the runners as Malgeri throws well, but it was bases loaded, one out, and the Tigers need strikeouts or a routine ground ball.
Hinch brought in Kenley Jansen, hoping for the strikeouts. The left-handed Victor Caratini pinch-hit for Gonzalez, making his first appearance of the series. Jansen proceeded to walk in a run to make it 5-3. Royce Lewis battled back from an 0-2 count and eventually got a cutter down inside of up, and Lewis pulled it on the ground. It looked like a double play ball but got right by Peck, who got caught flat-footed, and the game was tied.
2026 Detroit Tigers baseball.
Jansen struck out Culpepper, but there were still men on second and third with two outs. Hinch took the ball, and Tyler Holton entered to try and get them out of this. Holton carved up Jenkins with good cutters to finally end the inning, but the game was tied entering the ninth.
McGonigle popped out again for an inauspicious start to the ninth inning. Shelton pulled his lefty and put RHP Yoendrys Gomez in to face Lee. The second baseman chased a fastball away that would’ve been ball four and whiffed, but Gomez walked him anyway, squandering their last challenge on ball four. A first pitch cutter to Torkelson right down the middle was the cookie we were hoping for, and Tork grounded into an inning ending double play.
At this point the Tigers odds were underwater in this one, but a victory felt closer to impossible.
Holton took on Keaschall to start the bottom of the ninth and he flew out to McKinstry in right. Brooks Lee paddled a 3-2 changeup away up the middle for a single under a diving Hao-Yu Lee. Clemens grounded one to Torkelson, who fired to second to get Lee, but the turn to first wasn’t quite in time. Jacob Waguespack entered to try and get the last out. He did, as Jeffers lifted a fly ball to Malgeri in left to end the inning.
Gomez was still in for the Twins in the 10th. Greene flew out, Valencia grounded out too sharply to advance the runner, and Malgeri was carved up by a sweeper to leave Torkelson at second.
Ryan Jeffers started the bottom half at second base. Waguespack faced Ben Ross to start the inning as the Tigers crept in at the corners. He popped up a bunt, freezing Jeffers. It fell just in front of McGonigle, who got the out at first. Former Tiger Ryan Kreidler was up next after entering as a pinch-runner in the eighth. Waguespack fell behind 3-1 and walked Kreidler, bringing Lewis to the dish. Waguespack got ahead with a pair of heaters up and then whiffed him on a nasty changeup. So, it was up to Waguespack vs. Culpepper and the shortstop gave one a ride to right field, but McKinstry hauled it in on the warning track.
On to the 11th. These games are a lot more fun when they matter. Of course, it matters to the Twins.
The Twins went to lefty Tyler Rogers in the 11th with Malgeri starting on second. Max Clark got jammed, but dumped a ball down the left field line to score Malgeri, and Clark didn’t stop there, booking it to second base. 6-5 Tigers. Peck lined out to left, and Hinch pinch hit Gleyber Torres for McKinstry. They gave Torres an intentional pass, and Javier Báez entered to run for him. McGonigle was up next, but he couldn’t handle Rogers slow sweeper and struck out. So it was up to Hao-Yu Lee to add on a run or two. Shelton didn’t want him facing a lefty, and so Tommy Nance entered to try and get the final out. He did so, getting Lee to fly out to Jenkins, and so the Tigers had to hold a one-run lead.
Having already burned through the Tigers best, relatively speaking, relievers, the game was now in Kyle Finnegan’s hands. Not good.
The rookie Jenkins was up first. Finnegan went with heaters and got ahead 0-2, but Jenkins fouled off a pretty good fastball at the bottom of the zone. A splitter sailed high and was fouled off fortunately. A splitter missed low, and a high fastball was fouled off. Finally a grounder up the middle was collected by Peck for the first out, but Culpepper moved to third.
Keaschall was up next, and a pair of good heaters got Finnegan up 0-2 again. He missed away with the next one, and a bad splitter up and in was yanked way foul. He came back with a fastball down the middle, and Keaschall lined it to right for a game-tying single. Malgeri dove for it, but just couldn’t get there, but he managed to smother it to keep Keaschall at first.
This feels like purgatory.
Brooks Lee stepped into the batters box and he lined a hanging splitter to right for a single, moving Keaschall to third. Hinch brought Javy Báez in from left field to use a five-man infield as anything well hit in the outfield was going to end the game anyway. Kody Clemens was up next, but against a lefty and with Finnegan having zero feel for his splitter, this was likely to be ugly.
Finnegan got ahead 1-2, and challenged Clemens with a heater that was fouled off. He tried again with the same result. Another splitter sailed high to make it 2-2. Clemens spoiled the next splitter up and away. Finally, Finnegan spotted a perfect fourseamer at 97 right under Clemens hands for the whiff. That left it to Jeffers, and Báez returned to his place in left field. Jeffers grounded out to Peck, and we were on to the 12th.
So, the Tigers had Hao-Yu Lee at second, with Torkelson facing Tomny Nance. The beleaguered first baseman got a 1-0 slider up and smoked it to left for a two-run shot. Well how about that?
Ah baseball. 8-6 Tigers. We began pondering who could pitch the bottom half, and it came down to Andrew Sears or Beau Brieske, but the Twins had more right-handers scheduled in the bottom half. On the other hand, no one was warming as the top of the 12th played out, and so it looked like more Finnegan was in order. Idk man, that was a high stress, long inning of work and 26 pitches.
Riley Greene worked a full count, but struck out. Valencia grounded out sharply to Lee at third, but he handled it easily. Ben Malgeri fought back from a pitcher’s count and rifled a breaking ball into right field for a single. With Max Clark at the dish, Malgeri then stole second base, and a single would score him from there. Nance fell behind 3-1 and so they elected to just walk Clark and pitch to Peck instead. Nance missed way up with his first fastball. The second clipped Peck in the helmet but it was a very glancing blow off the brim as the youngster’s reflexes protected his noggin on that one. So the bases were loaded, and Javier Báez was up.
It was time for El Mago to enter the chat, and in an 0-1 count, Báez saw another slider away and just flicked one off the bat, over Royce Lewis, and down along the first base line. It glanced off his glove, and all three speedy baserunners raced around to score. Lol, baseball. 11-6 Tigers.
Ryan Jeffers started the inning at second. Finnegan stayed in despite the tough 11th inning. He punched out Ben Ross with another good heater under his hands. Kreidler whiffed, and Lewis grounded out to McGonigle to finally put this one away.
Sheesh. Good to see the Tigers fight through this one for a much needed win. Too many mistakes, but at least they battled and pulled it out in the end. They’ll have an off day as they travel to Cleveland to start a four-game set, including a doubleheader on Friday.
