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The News' Andrew Graham gives his quick takes on the Tigers' 4-1 victory over the Athletics on Thursday:
Detroit found itself in a pitcher's duel — Framber Valdez vs. a bullpen game for the Athletics — on Thursday, but boy did the Tigers make the hits count to stake out a lead, twice, via the long ball.
Jake Rogers hit a home run on back-to-back days with his solo shot in the third inning, as he makes the start for Dillon Dingler after his hand injury Wednesday. That was Detroit's only hit until Zach McKinstry came up in the bottom of the fifth inning with Kerry Carpenter on first base via a walk.
Working from a 3-0 to 3-2 count, McKinstry got a fast ball low and down the middle and pummeled it out to right center field. That put Detroit up, 3-1, at the time, right after giving up a run in the top of the inning — Valdez had taken a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
Slugging and hitting the long ball, specifically, has been a boost for the Detroit offense as the Tigers work out of this hole in the standings, and it's especially valuable if you're only going to manage a few hits.
Oh, and for a kicker, Eduardo Valencia pinch hit as the designated hitter later in the game, making his MLB debut, and mashed a 425-foot homer out to center field in his first career at-bat. Pretty cool stuff!
Going to invert this one a bit since this team is playing so well right now, but I do watch this recent surge and have this tinge of wondering what this year could be if the Tigers weren't digging out of a hole.
After all, it's a weak American League and Detroit's starting pitching, when healthy, has been as-promised — especially if Valdez looks like he did tonight — and the offense is looking solid-to-good. The team Detroit's manager and players claim is in there seems to be showing up. But what if it hadn't taken this long?
That's a thought that's going to linger, and perhaps be amplified by a potential decision to sell at the deadline.
Sure, we can't change the past, but it's fair to wonder how things might seem if this version of the Tigers had been there in March and May. Anyways, here's Valdez dealing.
(Season total in parentheses)
▶ Jake Rogers (6) — while it's fortunate that Dillon Dingler's injury apparently isn't long-term, Rogers launching homers in his stead works well, too.
▶ Zach McKinstry (6)
▶ Eduardo Valencia (1)
(Season total in parentheses)
▶ Framber Valdez (4)
▶ Game 94: Phillies at Tigers, 6:40 Friday, Detroit SportsNet, 97.1
ICYMI: Wednesday's Tigers recap
Andrew Graham is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers, Game 93: One thing I loved, one thing I didn't
Continue reading...
One thing I loved
Detroit found itself in a pitcher's duel — Framber Valdez vs. a bullpen game for the Athletics — on Thursday, but boy did the Tigers make the hits count to stake out a lead, twice, via the long ball.
Jake Rogers hit a home run on back-to-back days with his solo shot in the third inning, as he makes the start for Dillon Dingler after his hand injury Wednesday. That was Detroit's only hit until Zach McKinstry came up in the bottom of the fifth inning with Kerry Carpenter on first base via a walk.
Working from a 3-0 to 3-2 count, McKinstry got a fast ball low and down the middle and pummeled it out to right center field. That put Detroit up, 3-1, at the time, right after giving up a run in the top of the inning — Valdez had taken a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
Slugging and hitting the long ball, specifically, has been a boost for the Detroit offense as the Tigers work out of this hole in the standings, and it's especially valuable if you're only going to manage a few hits.
Oh, and for a kicker, Eduardo Valencia pinch hit as the designated hitter later in the game, making his MLB debut, and mashed a 425-foot homer out to center field in his first career at-bat. Pretty cool stuff!
ELECTRIC!️
Valencia homers in his first Major League at-bat! pic.twitter.com/s0s4qzcZhf
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 10, 2026
One thing I didn't
Going to invert this one a bit since this team is playing so well right now, but I do watch this recent surge and have this tinge of wondering what this year could be if the Tigers weren't digging out of a hole.
After all, it's a weak American League and Detroit's starting pitching, when healthy, has been as-promised — especially if Valdez looks like he did tonight — and the offense is looking solid-to-good. The team Detroit's manager and players claim is in there seems to be showing up. But what if it hadn't taken this long?
That's a thought that's going to linger, and perhaps be amplified by a potential decision to sell at the deadline.
Sure, we can't change the past, but it's fair to wonder how things might seem if this version of the Tigers had been there in March and May. Anyways, here's Valdez dealing.
Three stars
(Season total in parentheses)
▶ Jake Rogers (6) — while it's fortunate that Dillon Dingler's injury apparently isn't long-term, Rogers launching homers in his stead works well, too.
▶ Zach McKinstry (6)
▶ Eduardo Valencia (1)
Player of the game
(Season total in parentheses)
▶ Framber Valdez (4)
Next Tigers game
▶ Game 94: Phillies at Tigers, 6:40 Friday, Detroit SportsNet, 97.1
ICYMI: Wednesday's Tigers recap
Andrew Graham is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers, Game 93: One thing I loved, one thing I didn't
Continue reading...
