The Tigers didn’t need a flawless night to beat a first-place team. They just needed the Rays to hand them a few openings, and Detroit made those mistakes hurt in a 4-1 win Tuesday afternoon at Comerica Park.
Max Clark supplied the biggest swing of the day, ripping a two-run homer in the fifth inning for the first home run of his career. That blast flipped the game and helped snap Detroit’s six-game skid. The Tigers and Rays have now split the first two games of the three-game set, with the finale coming Wednesday.
Detroit’s fifth inning changed everything. Clark’s shot brought home Javier Báez and put the Tigers ahead 2-1, then Tampa Bay piled on the miscues.
A miscommunication in the outfield helped Gleyber Torres reach, a balk moved him up, and an error on a hard grounder allowed him to score. In a hurry, the Tigers had turned a tight game into a cushion.
The offense had been quiet before that. Tampa Bay opener Casey Legumina worked around Detroit for the first two innings, and the Tigers were still searching for rhythm when Clark stepped in and delivered the swing that broke it open. Later, in the seventh, Báez added more pressure with a leadoff triple and eventually scored on Hao-Yu Lee’s two-out single to make it a three-run game.
Jackson Jobe’s afternoon was uneven, but he gave Detroit enough to work with. He opened with a different look, leaning more on curveballs and sinkers than his usual four-seam fastball. The Rays still found a run in the fourth when Junior Caminero and Liam Hicks put pressure on the defense, and Jonny DeLuca brought in Caminero with an infield single.
Jobe escaped that inning with the bases loaded, then was pulled after 4⅓ innings and 86 pitches. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks, striking out four. His curveball, thrown harder than usual at an average of 85 mph, was one of his best weapons on the night, along with his two-seam fastball.
Detroit’s bullpen handled the rest. Drew Sommers and Jacob Waguespack covered the next eight outs, Tyler Holton tossed a scoreless eighth, and Kenley Jansen finished it off for his 17th save.
The Tigers improved to 62-70 and moved within four games of the Cleveland Guardians in the American League wild-card standings, with Cleveland playing later Tuesday.
Wednesday’s finale is set for 1:10 p.m. on Detroit SportsNet, with Freddy Peralta scheduled to face Troy Melton.
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