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Tigers Sweep the A's
Framber Valdez set the tone immediately, Jake Rogers gave the Tigers an early lift from the bottom of the order, and Eduardo Valencia delivered the night’s most memorable swing in Detroit’s 4-1 win over the Athletics at Comerica Park.
Valdez opened the game by striking out the side, getting Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers in order. It was an efficient first impression for a start that became exactly what the Tigers needed. Valdez gave Detroit seven innings, allowed one run and kept Oakland from building much pressure outside of two middle-inning threats.
The Tigers’ offense did not do much the first time through, but Rogers changed the game in the third inning. After an injury delay and a couple of strong defensive plays by Oakland, Rogers drove a solo home run to left field for his third homer of the season. It gave Detroit a 1-0 lead and continued a productive night for the Tigers’ catcher, who also walked twice and reached base three times.
Oakland tied the game in the fifth. Jacob Wilson singled, Lawrence Butler was hit by a pitch, and Colby Thomas moved Wilson to third with a flyout. Henry Bolte then grounded into a forceout, allowing Wilson to score. Valdez avoided further damage by getting Alika Williams to ground out, keeping the game tied at 1.
Detroit answered in the bottom half. Kerry Carpenter worked a walk, and Zach McKinstry followed with a two-run homer to right-center field. McKinstry’s fourth home run of the season gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead and put the game back in Valdez’s hands.
The sixth inning gave Oakland another chance. Langeliers and Jonah Heim singled with two outs, bringing the tying run to the plate. Valdez ended the threat by striking out Wilson on a foul tip. He returned in the seventh and finished his outing with one of his best innings of the night, striking out Butler, getting Thomas on a groundout and then striking out Bolte.
Valdez’s final line reflected the quality of the start. He gave Detroit length, missed bats, worked around traffic and allowed the Tigers to avoid overextending the bullpen. His rhythm also helped the defense stay involved, with Kevin McGonigle making several plays at third, Hao-Yu Lee handling second base cleanly and Spencer Torkelson finishing plays at first.
Then came Valencia.
Pinch-hitting for Carpenter in the seventh inning, Valencia stepped in and sent a ball to center field for his first career home run. It was also his first major league at-bat, making him the 10th player in Tigers history to homer in his first MLB plate appearance. The swing gave Detroit a 4-1 lead, but the moment carried more meaning than the extra run.
Valencia has worked through the minor leagues to get to this point, and a first-at-bat home run is one of those baseball moments that immediately becomes part of a player’s story. The dugout reaction reflected that. His teammates greeted him with the kind of response reserved for a milestone, and Valencia had a chance to take in a moment that few players ever experience.
The late innings still required execution. Kyle Finnegan took over in the eighth and gave up a leadoff single to Jeff McNeil, but the Tigers erased it quickly. McGonigle, Lee and Torkelson turned a double play, and Finnegan struck out Kurtz to end the inning.
Kenley Jansen handled the ninth. He walked Langeliers and allowed a single to Wilson, putting runners on the corners with one out. Jansen recovered by getting Lawrence Butler to line out sharply to McKinstry at short and Tyler Soderstrom to line out to Torkelson at first to end the game.
But the story was Valencia to me. He was emotional after the game, expressing his gratitude to the organization. Tears were flowing, everywhere.
Follow me on "X" @rogcastbaseball
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Framber Valdez set the tone immediately, Jake Rogers gave the Tigers an early lift from the bottom of the order, and Eduardo Valencia delivered the night’s most memorable swing in Detroit’s 4-1 win over the Athletics at Comerica Park.
Valdez opened the game by striking out the side, getting Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers in order. It was an efficient first impression for a start that became exactly what the Tigers needed. Valdez gave Detroit seven innings, allowed one run and kept Oakland from building much pressure outside of two middle-inning threats.
The Tigers’ offense did not do much the first time through, but Rogers changed the game in the third inning. After an injury delay and a couple of strong defensive plays by Oakland, Rogers drove a solo home run to left field for his third homer of the season. It gave Detroit a 1-0 lead and continued a productive night for the Tigers’ catcher, who also walked twice and reached base three times.
Oakland tied the game in the fifth. Jacob Wilson singled, Lawrence Butler was hit by a pitch, and Colby Thomas moved Wilson to third with a flyout. Henry Bolte then grounded into a forceout, allowing Wilson to score. Valdez avoided further damage by getting Alika Williams to ground out, keeping the game tied at 1.
Detroit answered in the bottom half. Kerry Carpenter worked a walk, and Zach McKinstry followed with a two-run homer to right-center field. McKinstry’s fourth home run of the season gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead and put the game back in Valdez’s hands.
The sixth inning gave Oakland another chance. Langeliers and Jonah Heim singled with two outs, bringing the tying run to the plate. Valdez ended the threat by striking out Wilson on a foul tip. He returned in the seventh and finished his outing with one of his best innings of the night, striking out Butler, getting Thomas on a groundout and then striking out Bolte.
Valdez’s final line reflected the quality of the start. He gave Detroit length, missed bats, worked around traffic and allowed the Tigers to avoid overextending the bullpen. His rhythm also helped the defense stay involved, with Kevin McGonigle making several plays at third, Hao-Yu Lee handling second base cleanly and Spencer Torkelson finishing plays at first.
Then came Valencia.
Pinch-hitting for Carpenter in the seventh inning, Valencia stepped in and sent a ball to center field for his first career home run. It was also his first major league at-bat, making him the 10th player in Tigers history to homer in his first MLB plate appearance. The swing gave Detroit a 4-1 lead, but the moment carried more meaning than the extra run.
Valencia has worked through the minor leagues to get to this point, and a first-at-bat home run is one of those baseball moments that immediately becomes part of a player’s story. The dugout reaction reflected that. His teammates greeted him with the kind of response reserved for a milestone, and Valencia had a chance to take in a moment that few players ever experience.
The late innings still required execution. Kyle Finnegan took over in the eighth and gave up a leadoff single to Jeff McNeil, but the Tigers erased it quickly. McGonigle, Lee and Torkelson turned a double play, and Finnegan struck out Kurtz to end the inning.
Kenley Jansen handled the ninth. He walked Langeliers and allowed a single to Wilson, putting runners on the corners with one out. Jansen recovered by getting Lawrence Butler to line out sharply to McKinstry at short and Tyler Soderstrom to line out to Torkelson at first to end the game.
But the story was Valencia to me. He was emotional after the game, expressing his gratitude to the organization. Tears were flowing, everywhere.
All the feels
Eduardo Valencia speaks with @daniellabruce_ after hitting his first career home run in his first MLB at bat. pic.twitter.com/N5ccXD1DKt
— Detroit SportsNet (@WatchDSN) July 10, 2026
Follow me on "X" @rogcastbaseball
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