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If you stayed up until the end on the East Coast, you were rewarded with must-see television. Baseball never gets old, and Friday night's game was another reminder why.
To kick off the second half of the season, the Tigers find themselves at one of the biggest crossroads the franchise has seen in decades. But if you look past the outside noise, you'll see a team beginning to rediscover its identity — the gritty, never-out-of-it Tigers.
Detroit carried the All-Star break momentum into Friday night, pulling off an improbable 2-1 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Angels with a dramatic ninth-inning rally.
Friday's start meant a little more for Troy Melton.
Growing up an Angels fan, Melton was pitching in front of hundreds of family and friends while living out a childhood dream. He probably imagined doing it in an Angels uniform, but instead he took the mound wearing the Old English "D."
It wasn't his sharpest outing, but it was another effective one.
Melton battled command issues early, whether it was nerves, the All-Star break, or simply an off night. After a leadoff walk and a Mike Trout flyout in the first inning, he walked two straight batters to load the bases.
He allowed the leadoff hitter to reach in five consecutive innings:
Finally, in the sixth inning, Melton retired the leadoff hitter to end that streak.
Despite constantly pitching with traffic on the bases, Melton limited the damage. He finished with 5.2 innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, four walks, and striking out nine. The four walks made nearly every pitch feel like a high-pressure situation, but Melton continued to escape trouble.
When it was all said and done, he did exactly what Detroit needed, lowering his ERA to an outstanding 1.80.
Once again, Keider Montero slammed the door.
Entering with two outs in the sixth inning, Montero immediately struck out Jo Adell before cruising through the next two innings.
He retired the side in order in the seventh, then struck out the side in the eighth, finishing with five strikeouts among the seven batters he faced entering the ninth.
After Detroit finally grabbed the lead, A.J. Hinch trusted the red-hot Montero to finish what he started.
Things got interesting.
Montero hit the leadoff batter before allowing a single to the next hitter, putting the tying and winning runs on base with nobody out. But Detroit's defense stepped up, recording three straight outs to preserve the victory.
Montero tossed 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five. He earned his sixth win of the season, improving to 6-5 while lowering his ERA to 3.22.
Hao-Yu Lee experienced both ends of the emotional spectrum Friday night.
In the first inning, with one out and the bases loaded, Lee fielded a ground ball to his left. He initially looked toward second base before pulling the throw back and taking the sure out at first. The decision allowed the Angels' first run to score. It was difficult to tell whether he didn't like Zach McKinstry's angle covering second or simply bobbled the ball.
Fast forward to the ninth inning.
With two outs and two runners aboard, Lee stepped into the box against Kirby Yates, one of baseball's toughest relievers on right-handed hitters.
On a fastball, Lee stayed back beautifully and drove it the other way, just beyond the outstretched glove of Jo Adell. The ball bounced off the wall, scoring James Outman and Riley Greene to give Detroit a stunning 2-1 lead.
It was one of the prettiest opposite-field swings you'll see, reminiscent of the way Miguel Cabrera used to let the ball travel before driving it into the opposite-field gap.
Lee erupted at second base as the Tigers stormed out of the All-Star break with a statement win.
Dillon Dingler: Collected an opposite-field single in the first inning before wearing a hit-by-pitch in the ninth to become Detroit's first leadoff baserunner of the game. James Outman entered as his pinch runner.
Matt Vierling: Continued his hot night with opposite-field singles in both the third and eighth innings. He also stole second base in the eighth after the Angels challenged the safe call. Although replay upheld the steal, Kevin McGonigle struck out to strand him.
Riley Greene: Doubled in the fourth inning before drawing a huge walk in the ninth to put two runners aboard for the eventual game-winning rally.
Ben Malgeri: Laced a fifth-inning double that hugged the right-field line before bouncing into the netting.
James Outman: Entered as a pinch runner for Dingler in the ninth and immediately stole second, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position before Lee's heroics.
Kevin McGonigle made one of the game's biggest defensive plays, ranging high for a scorching ground ball before firing across the diamond. Spencer Torkelson made an outstanding stretch to complete the play, preserving the inning.
Hinch's pinch-hitting moves once again failed to provide much offense.
Kerry Carpenter grounded out in the seventh before popping out in the ninth. Colt Keith struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth. Jake Rogers, who entered after Dingler was pinch-run for, also popped out in the ninth.
None of the moves directly produced offense, but Hinch's biggest decision came by sticking with Montero in the ninth. It looked shaky after the first two batters reached, but Montero rewarded his manager's confidence by finishing off the win.
Detroit improves to 45-52, remaining 3.5 games behind the Twins for the final American League Wild Card spot and 6.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central.
It was a late night for Tigers fans, but anyone who fought through the yawns was rewarded with one of Detroit's grittiest wins of the season. The kind of victory that leaves you too energized to fall asleep for another three hours.
Continue reading...
To kick off the second half of the season, the Tigers find themselves at one of the biggest crossroads the franchise has seen in decades. But if you look past the outside noise, you'll see a team beginning to rediscover its identity — the gritty, never-out-of-it Tigers.
Detroit carried the All-Star break momentum into Friday night, pulling off an improbable 2-1 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Angels with a dramatic ninth-inning rally.
Three Stars
Third Star: Troy Melton
Friday's start meant a little more for Troy Melton.
Growing up an Angels fan, Melton was pitching in front of hundreds of family and friends while living out a childhood dream. He probably imagined doing it in an Angels uniform, but instead he took the mound wearing the Old English "D."
It wasn't his sharpest outing, but it was another effective one.
Melton battled command issues early, whether it was nerves, the All-Star break, or simply an off night. After a leadoff walk and a Mike Trout flyout in the first inning, he walked two straight batters to load the bases.
He allowed the leadoff hitter to reach in five consecutive innings:
- Zach Neto singled in the first.
- Vaughn Grissom walked in the second.
- Mike Trout doubled in the third.
- Vaughn Grissom singled in the fourth.
- Zach Neto singled in the fifth.
Finally, in the sixth inning, Melton retired the leadoff hitter to end that streak.
Despite constantly pitching with traffic on the bases, Melton limited the damage. He finished with 5.2 innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, four walks, and striking out nine. The four walks made nearly every pitch feel like a high-pressure situation, but Melton continued to escape trouble.
When it was all said and done, he did exactly what Detroit needed, lowering his ERA to an outstanding 1.80.
Second Star: Keider Montero
Once again, Keider Montero slammed the door.
Entering with two outs in the sixth inning, Montero immediately struck out Jo Adell before cruising through the next two innings.
He retired the side in order in the seventh, then struck out the side in the eighth, finishing with five strikeouts among the seven batters he faced entering the ninth.
After Detroit finally grabbed the lead, A.J. Hinch trusted the red-hot Montero to finish what he started.
Things got interesting.
Montero hit the leadoff batter before allowing a single to the next hitter, putting the tying and winning runs on base with nobody out. But Detroit's defense stepped up, recording three straight outs to preserve the victory.
Montero tossed 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five. He earned his sixth win of the season, improving to 6-5 while lowering his ERA to 3.22.
First Star: Hao-Yu Lee
Hao-Yu Lee experienced both ends of the emotional spectrum Friday night.
In the first inning, with one out and the bases loaded, Lee fielded a ground ball to his left. He initially looked toward second base before pulling the throw back and taking the sure out at first. The decision allowed the Angels' first run to score. It was difficult to tell whether he didn't like Zach McKinstry's angle covering second or simply bobbled the ball.
Fast forward to the ninth inning.
With two outs and two runners aboard, Lee stepped into the box against Kirby Yates, one of baseball's toughest relievers on right-handed hitters.
On a fastball, Lee stayed back beautifully and drove it the other way, just beyond the outstretched glove of Jo Adell. The ball bounced off the wall, scoring James Outman and Riley Greene to give Detroit a stunning 2-1 lead.
It was one of the prettiest opposite-field swings you'll see, reminiscent of the way Miguel Cabrera used to let the ball travel before driving it into the opposite-field gap.
Lee erupted at second base as the Tigers stormed out of the All-Star break with a statement win.
Other Notes You May Have Missed
Dillon Dingler: Collected an opposite-field single in the first inning before wearing a hit-by-pitch in the ninth to become Detroit's first leadoff baserunner of the game. James Outman entered as his pinch runner.
Matt Vierling: Continued his hot night with opposite-field singles in both the third and eighth innings. He also stole second base in the eighth after the Angels challenged the safe call. Although replay upheld the steal, Kevin McGonigle struck out to strand him.
Riley Greene: Doubled in the fourth inning before drawing a huge walk in the ninth to put two runners aboard for the eventual game-winning rally.
Ben Malgeri: Laced a fifth-inning double that hugged the right-field line before bouncing into the netting.
James Outman: Entered as a pinch runner for Dingler in the ninth and immediately stole second, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position before Lee's heroics.
Defense Delivered
Kevin McGonigle made one of the game's biggest defensive plays, ranging high for a scorching ground ball before firing across the diamond. Spencer Torkelson made an outstanding stretch to complete the play, preserving the inning.
A.J. Hinch's Decisions
Hinch's pinch-hitting moves once again failed to provide much offense.
Kerry Carpenter grounded out in the seventh before popping out in the ninth. Colt Keith struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth. Jake Rogers, who entered after Dingler was pinch-run for, also popped out in the ninth.
None of the moves directly produced offense, but Hinch's biggest decision came by sticking with Montero in the ninth. It looked shaky after the first two batters reached, but Montero rewarded his manager's confidence by finishing off the win.
Hitless Starters
- Kevin McGonigle: 0-for-4, 2 strikeouts, 2 runners left on base
- Spencer Torkelson: 0-for-4, 1 strikeout, 2 runners left on base
- Eduardo Valencia: 0-for-2, 1 strikeout
- Zach McKinstry: 0-for-3, 3 strikeouts
Detroit improves to 45-52, remaining 3.5 games behind the Twins for the final American League Wild Card spot and 6.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central.
It was a late night for Tigers fans, but anyone who fought through the yawns was rewarded with one of Detroit's grittiest wins of the season. The kind of victory that leaves you too energized to fall asleep for another three hours.
Continue reading...
