Derek Hill spent Saturday reminding the Tigers exactly what they once hoped he’d become.
The former Detroit first-round pick was everywhere for the Phillies in a 4-2 win that ended the Tigers’ six-game streak. Hill saved a run with a diving catch, swiped three bases and drove in a run, all while helping turn Comerica Park into a showcase for the speed and range Detroit drafted back in 2014.
That vision never came together in a Tigers uniform. But Hill, now 30 and already with six teams behind him over 12 years, put his old club on the defensive from the start. He had already homered to dead center and collected three hits Friday, then kept rolling Saturday by accounting for two of Philadelphia’s first four runs against Casey Mize.
His legs created the first one. In the third inning, Hill pressured third baseman Kevin McGonigle into a rushed, errant throw. He then turned the screws on rookie catcher Eduardo Valencia, making his first big-league start behind the plate, by stealing second and third before scoring on Trea Turner’s sacrifice fly.
Hill struck again in the fourth. After J.T. Realmuto lined a two-run double, Hill brought him home with a two-out single and added his third stolen base of the day.
His biggest play came with the glove. With Ben Malgeri on first in the third inning, Hill tracked down Zach McKinstry’s drive in left-center, fully extended on a diving “superman” catch that wiped out extra bases and an RBI. He had been shaded toward the right-center gap and still got there in time.
Hill arrived in the game hitting .356/.383/.600 in 21 games with the Phillies after beginning the season with the White Sox. He also spent parts of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons with Detroit.
The Tigers, though, kept punching back.
Valencia erased Bryce Harper’s steal attempt at second in the fifth, then answered with his second home run in three days, lining a Cristopher Sanchez slider into the seats in right-center. Detroit kept traffic on the bases against Sanchez, leaving two runners stranded in the fifth after the homer and forcing him into double-play balls in both the sixth and seventh.
By the time Sanchez exited in the eighth, the Tigers had piled up 10 hits against him, including three from Matt Vierling. Vierling walked and McGonigle singled to open the inning before Phillies manager Don Mattingly turned to Jonathan Bowlan.
The frame got tense fast when Bowlan hit Dillon Dingler with his first pitch to load the bases. But he recovered by getting Spencer Torkelson into a double play, which brought Vierling home from third and cut into the pressure. Riley Greene then walked to keep the inning alive and bring Valencia back up, but Bowlan broke his bat and induced a groundout to end the threat.
Detroit still had one more shot in the ninth, but Jhoan Duran and his 100-mph arsenal shut it down. The Phillies closer retired pinch-hitters Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter, both left-handed bats, and finished the game by getting McKinstry to pop out.
In Other News...
Tigers First Round Track Record Looks Very Different Than Fans Think
The Tigers first-round draft story has not followed the tidy script many fans might assume when they hear about a wave of premium picks. A look back from 2022 through 2025 shows a front office that has mixed upside, patience and a few uncomfortable questions, with Jordan Yost, Bryce Rainer, Max Clark and Jace Jung all sitting at very different points on the development curve. Some are still climbing through the minors, some have already reached the majors, and the overall picture is less about one clean success story than a collection of separate bets still being sorted out.
Jordan Yost, the clubs 2025 first-rounder, is already drawing a C+ grade and leaving observers to wonder what Detroit sees in him. Clark remains in Triple-A, where the Tigers want him to keep developing while also preserving his PPI eligibility for 2027, even as the big-league temptation grows louder. And with the 2026 MLB Draft approaching, Detroit will have four picks after forfeiting its third-round selection by signing Framber Valdez, a reminder that the pipeline is still being shaped not just by who the Tigers choose, but by the roster decisions that come before the draft board ever turns. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Just Took Another Bullpen Flier Fans Will Want To Track
The Tigers added another arm to the bullpen mix by claiming right-hander Andre Granillo off waivers from the Nationals and sending him to Triple-A. It is the sort of low-risk move Detroit has made plenty of times as it keeps searching for usable pitching depth, and Granillo brings a little more intrigue than the usual waiver pickup because he has already reached the majors this season and now occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.
Granillo also arrives with some real pedigree, having once been considered a notable Cardinals prospect before St. Louis moved him to Washington earlier this year. The immediate assignment to Triple-A suggests the Tigers want to see more before giving him a longer look, but his track record and the fact that he has already opened this season in the big leagues make him one of those names worth following if Detroit needs another bullpen option later on. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Are Rolling And This Phillies Win Changed The Feeling Fast
The Tigers wasted no time turning a tight game into a loud one Friday night at Comerica Park, burying the Phillies 10-2 in the opener of a three-game series. Detroits offense broke through in a big sixth inning, then kept stacking on runs in the seventh, with Eduardo Valencia, Zach McKinstry, James Outman, Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson all part of the surge that changed the tone fast.
Jack Flaherty helped set the stage by giving Detroit six innings and allowing two runs, giving the club another steady start to lean on as the lineup came alive behind him. The bigger question now is whether this was just one of those nights where everything clicked, or another sign that the Tigers are starting to look a lot more dangerous when a game gets into the middle innings. [Read more 🡒]