Don’t let the Tigers get hot. It’s a mantra that catcher Jake Rogers and others on the club have been saying for the past six weeks now. During that stretch, the Tigers have been the hottest team in Major League Baseball.
Over their last 34 ballgames dating back to August 11, the Tigers have gone 24-10, taking their record from 55-63 to 79-73, a remarkable turnaround.
They entered play on Tuesday night just 1.5 games behind the Twins for the final Wild Card berth in the American League. The Twins topped the Guardians 4-1 on Tuesday though, which meant that the Tigers had to hold serve to stay in the race.
Quick Strike Offense
The Tigers got on the board in a hurry in this one, as Andy Ibanez was plunked by a 97-mph fastball from Cole Ragans to start the game and Matt Vierling followed with a run-scoring double to left field to give the Tigers an early 1-0 advantage. Riley Greene followed with a ground out that moved Vierling up to third base with only one out, but the Tigers were unable to cash him in.
Parker Meadows then led off the third inning with a double and advanced to third on a ground ball off the bat of Ibanez. Once again though, the Tigers failed to score a runner from third base with less than two outs as Vierling and Greene each went down swinging. The Royals answered back off of Casey Mize in the third inning as Bobby Witt Jr. worked a two-out walk, Salvador Perez followed with a single and Michael Massey delivered the equalizer with a run-scoring single into right field.
Tigers’ Bullpen Steps Up
The Tigers’ bullpen has been unbelievable this season and has even stepped it up a notch during this blistering stretch. That continued Tuesday.
Mize had been cruising through the first 4 1/3 innings, then the wheels fell off for him with two outs in the fifth as he allowed a single to Tommy Pham and then walked Witt and Perez to load the bases with only one out. Tigers’ skipper A.J. Hinch turned to Shelby Miller to get out of the jam and on his very first pitch he got Massey to hit into an inning-ending double play to foil the threat.
Miller returned for the sixth inning where he loaded the bases on his own on a single and a pair of walks but got Tommy Pham to fly out to right field to end it. Beau Brieske took over for the seventh and looked as electric as he has all season – striking out Witt, Perez, and Massey in succession to keep the score tied at 1-1.
Bullpen ace Tyler Holton was brought on for the eighth inning, and he retired the side in order without any difficulty. The Tigers got a leadoff double from Wenceel Perez to start the ninth inning, but he never advanced past there as Lucas Erceg retired the next three hitters in order. Holton pulled double duty and worked the ninth inning as well, punching out Freddy Fermin and Kyle Isbel before getting Pham on a pop-out to send the game to extra innings.
Meadows and Greene Deliver
There, the Tigers’ offense finally broke through. After Trey Sweeney advanced to third base on a one-out balk, Parker Meadows blooped an RBI single into left field to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. After Vierling worked a two-out walk, Riley Greene lined a sharp single up the middle that plated Meadows to make it a two-run advantage.
Tigers’ closer Jason Foley was then summoned to work the 10th inning. He made it look awfully easy, retiring Witt on a ground ball to shortstop and then Perez and Massey on fly balls to center to close it out.
Holton picked up his seventh victory of the season for his effort while Foley nabbed his 25th save.
News and Notes
The Tigers remain 1.5 games behind the Twins in the race for the final Wild Card spot, but that’s effectively a 2.5-game lead as the Twins hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers based on their head-to-head record on the year.
The Tigers have Tarik Skubal toeing the slab as they look to complete the sweep on Wednesday. He’ll match up against Royals’ right-hander Alec Marsh. Keep in mind, if this thing stays close, the Tigers finish the season with three games against baseball’s abomination – the 115-loss Chicago White Sox – at Comerica Park.
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