Riley Greene kept rolling Monday, and the Tigers finally got a result that didn’t come with a gut punch at the finish.
After three straight days in Cleveland ended with walk-off losses, Detroit turned the script around at Comerica Park and beat the Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Sept. 7. Greene was right in the middle of it again, finishing with three hits and launching a two-run homer in the fifth to help the Tigers build enough cushion to survive the late push.
Greene’s recent surge is starting to look relentless. He now has six extra-base hits - three doubles and three homers - over his last three games, and he’s batting .360 since coming off the injured list seven games ago.
Troy Melton got the win after grinding through 5⅔ innings. He allowed seven hits, struck out three and walked one, while Kenley Jansen finished things off in the ninth despite a leadoff walk to earn his 18th save in 24 tries.
Detroit had to answer an early Twins run after Melton needed 24 pitches to get through the first inning. Luke Keaschall reached with a leadoff hit-by-pitch while the count was in Melton’s favor, then Brooks Lee followed with a single to center.
Keaschall took off for third with a big jump and scored on Ryan Jeffers’ grounder to short. Melton did escape the inning by getting Josh Bell to ground into a double play.
The Tigers answered immediately. Kevin McGonigle tied it at 1-1 with a solo shot to right on a line drive in the bottom of the first.
In the second, Zach McKinstry opened with a triple into the right-field corner, then Max Clark walked and John Peck was hit by the first pitch he saw at Comerica Park. Ryan then plunked Colt Keith on the next pitch, forcing in McKinstry and putting Detroit ahead 2-1.
McGonigle added more damage in the same inning. His chopper to Royce Lewis at first led to a throw home that pulled Ryan Jeffers off the plate, allowing Clark to score and make it 3-1.
Minnesota trimmed the gap in the fourth when Trevor Larnach hit his 12th homer of the season. But Greene answered in the fifth, hammering a Connor Prielipp curveball into the right-field seats with Gleyber Torres aboard to stretch the lead to 5-2.
Melton seemed set up for a smooth sixth after that, getting two quick outs before the Twins strung together three straight hits, capped by Walker Jenkins’ two-run double. Tyler Kinley took over, then walked the next two batters before getting Kody Clemens looking to end the inning with Detroit still ahead by one.
From there, Kinley, Jacob Waguespack and Drew Sommers kept Minnesota quiet until Jansen handled the ninth and locked it down.
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