Dillon Dingler put the exclamation point on a night that kept rolling in Detroit’s favor, launching a grand slam in a seven-run eighth inning as the Tigers blew past the Athletics 13-1 on Friday night.
The offense had plenty of help around him. Kevin McGonigle homered and drove in two runs, while fellow 2023 draft pick Max Clark delivered three hits in his big-league debut, including an RBI double during the decisive eighth. Clark also added another double in the ninth, giving the 21-year-old one of the loudest first impressions possible.
Detroit’s pitching plan looked different before first pitch, too. The Tigers scratched scheduled starter Casey Mize in case a trade develops before Monday’s deadline, then leaned on the bullpen and got exactly what they needed. Tyler Holton opened the game and gave up one run over two innings, and Ty Madden (1-0) handled three scoreless frames, allowing two hits to earn the win.
The result gave Detroit just its second victory in six games to open a three-city West Coast trip, and it moved the club within 3 1/2 games of the final wild-card spot in the American League.
McGonigle got Detroit going by tying the game with a solo shot off Jeffrey Springs (3-11) in the third. He came right back in the fourth with a sacrifice fly, and that inning also featured Clark’s first career hit.
Clark’s debut kept building from there. His RBI double in the eighth helped fuel the Tigers’ eruption, and his second double came in the ninth. He became the third Tigers player ever to post at least three hits and two extra-base hits in his debut, joining McGonigle earlier this year and Billy Bean in 1987.
Dingler then blew the game open against Luis Morales with his first career grand slam. Ben Malgeri added more damage in the ninth with his first career homer, a two-run blast.
For the A’s, the night kept a rough month rolling. They finished 5-19 in July, and Springs had another difficult outing, allowing four hits, five walks and two runs in four innings while falling to 0-11 in his last 18 starts.
Detroit was set to send LH Framber Valdez (5-7, 4.53 ERA) to the mound Saturday against RH Jack Perkins (2-6, 6.45).
In Other News...
Former Tiger Jake Rogers Lands In A Deadline Twist Fans Will Feel
Jake Rogers deadline day turned into a whirlwind, and for Tigers fans, it was a reminder of how fast baseball can move. After spending several seasons in Detroit, the catcher was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles and then quickly flipped to the Boston Red Sox in the same sequence of moves tied to a larger deal centered on Adley Rutschman.
Now Rogers lands in a situation where his role could be far more immediate than anyone expected when the day began. With Rutschman currently on the injured list, the former Tiger is in position to help Boston right away, giving his new club a short-term answer while leaving Detroit followers to track one more familiar name in a very different setting. [Read more 🡒]
Casey Mize Just Became A Tougher Tigers Deadline Call
The pitching market keeps narrowing, and that matters for the Tigers as the deadline approaches. Toronto just added starter Jos Soriano from the Angels in a deal that sent shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, outfielder Eddie Micheletti and right-hander Angel Rivero back the other way, another notable move after the Blue Jays had already dealt Kevin Gausman to the Cubs. For Detroit, every starting arm coming off the board changes the backdrop around a roster that is still trying to decide how aggressive it wants to be.
Casey Mize sits right in the middle of that conversation. There has been speculation that the Tigers could move the right-hander, and interest around him has been building as clubs hunt for rotation help. With one more name gone and the supply shrinking, Detroits choice gets tougher by the day: hold onto a pitcher it still values, or see whether the market gets strong enough to justify listening. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Suddenly Have One Deadline Need They Can't Ignore
Casey Mizes name is back in the rumor mill at the exact moment the Tigers are trying to keep their division lead steady, and now his next start has been scratched as a precaution. The timing only adds to the sense that Detroit could be weighing a bigger-picture decision with a pitcher who is nearing free agency, even if the Tigers would prefer the focus stay on the pennant race rather than the deadline.
Houston has emerged as one of the clubs watching closely because of its rotation injuries, and that need is hard to miss with the deadline approaching. For the Tigers, the question is whether holding onto Mize for a run at October is worth more than the kind of prospect package a contending club might be willing to put on the table, which is exactly the sort of call front offices hate making when the standings say one thing and the long view says another. [Read more 🡒]