James Outman and Dillon Dingler delivered the late punch the Tigers needed, and Detroit walked off the field with a 4-3 win over the Royals after a game that spent most of the afternoon stuck in neutral.
For nearly seven innings, it looked like both teams were content to trade empty chances and let the pitching staffs sort it out. That changed in a hurry once the Tigers finally found a big swing, then survived a messy ninth to finish off Kansas City at home after the post-All-Star Break road trip.
Troy Melton got the start for Detroit against former Tigers farmhand Randy Dobnak, and the opening frame already hinted at how strange this one might get. Carter Jensen drew a leadoff walk, Vinnie Pasquantino followed with a single, and Salvador Perez worked another walk to load the bases with one out. Melton escaped without giving up a run, getting the final two outs to keep the Royals off the board.
Detroit had its own early opening in the first. Gleyber Torres singled with one out, Colt Keith forced him out, and Riley Greene added another single to put runners on the corners. The Tigers couldn’t cash in and left two on.
The second inning brought more traffic and no damage. Josh Rojas doubled to start the frame, but Melton worked out of it. In the bottom half, Zach McKinstry singled with two outs, only to be picked off by Dobnak.
Melton settled in from there. He retired Kansas City in order in the third, while Detroit went quietly in its half.
The fourth and fifth followed the same pattern: runners reached, but nobody crossed. Isaac Collins walked in the fourth and was stranded.
Dillon Dingler drew a two-out walk in the bottom half and was left there. In the fifth, Jensen doubled and Pasquantino walked, but again the Royals couldn’t break through.
McKinstry singled for Detroit, James Outman forced him out, and Outman was then caught stealing second after a Tigers challenge failed to overturn the call.
The Royals finally broke through in the sixth. Michael Massey led off with a single, Collins followed with a two-run homer, and Melton’s night was done after five innings.
He finished with 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 HR on 76 pitches. Tyler Holton took over and worked around a single by Nick Loftin to finish the inning.
Dobnak was finished after five as well, with Matt Strahm taking over for Kansas City. Detroit got a pinch-hit walk from Hao-Yu Lee in the sixth, but couldn’t bring him around.
Holton worked into the seventh before Jacob Waguespack came on to get the final out of the inning. Then the Tigers finally cracked the game open.
John Schreiber entered for the Royals, Dingler and Kerry Carpenter opened with back-to-back singles, and with two outs Outman launched a three-run homer to right. Suddenly, Detroit had the lead.
Kevin McGonigle singled after that, but was tagged out trying to stretch it into a double.
Kansas City answered in the eighth. Drew Anderson came in for Detroit, Massey singled to start the inning, and pinch-runner Tyler Tolbert stole second. A wild pitch that bounced off home plate let Tolbert reach third, and Josh Rojas brought him home with a single to tie it at 3-3.
Detroit responded right back in the bottom half. Steven Cruz was on for the Royals, Hao-Yu Lee singled with one out, and Riley Greene moved him to second with a groundout. Dingler then doubled to drive in the go-ahead run and score Lee.
Kerry Carpenter reached on an error by Pasquantino, putting Dingler on third and giving the Tigers another chance to add to the cushion, but they couldn’t push across an insurance run.
Drew Sommers took over in the ninth and ran into trouble. Lane Thomas walked with one out as Sommers struggled to find his fastball, and Pasquantino singled to bring the tying run aboard. Kyle Finnegan then entered and shut the door, getting Salvador Perez to bounce into a double play to end it, with Finnegan covering first for the final out.
Random odds and ends
Judging by the national media today, the Tigers are preparing to trade Tarik Skubal, keep Tarik Skubal and buy, and keep Tarik Skubal and shed salary elsewhere to avoid the luxury tax screwing up their compensation picks. Hard hitting stuff from the MLB insiders. We’ll be glad when this saga is over one way or another.
At no point during Jose Iglesias’ days as the Tigers shortstop did we envision his Broadway debut, but the Cuban born defensive specialist had a minor hit with his “OMG!” song two years ago during his run with the Mets.
Now he’ll be on Broadway as part of the cast of Buena Vista Social Club. The musical covers the ensemble of Cuban musicians who formed in 1996.
That’s one heck of a second career for Candelito, and if you’ve never heard this album you owe it to yourself to check it out.
In Other News...
Tarik Skubal Just Created A Brutal New Question For Tigers Fans
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Skubal also made clear the issue was not only physical, pointing to the arbitration process as part of why he handled the situation the way he did. And with his relationship with the front office already strained since that hearing, the Tigers are now left to sort through a question that goes beyond one elbow and into the bigger trust gap between ace and organization. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Fans May Not Like What This Means For Max Clark
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For now, the more likely path is patience, with Detroit able to let the season breathe a little longer before making a move. Clark could still get there sooner if his production takes another jump or if the roster situation changes, but the current read is that the Tigers may prefer to wait until September unless circumstances push them in a different direction. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Suddenly Face A Risky Deadline Question In Center Field
With the Tigers still in the thick of the playoff race, center field has become one of the more obvious places for a deadline upgrade. Detroit has gotten by with Matt Vierling and James Outman out there, but the position has not exactly looked settled, and that makes any credible option worth a closer look as the market starts to take shape.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic floated New York Mets outfielder Luis Robert Jr. as a possible fit, a suggestion that makes some baseball sense even with the injury concerns attached to his season. Robert has long shown he can handle left-handed pitching, and for a club trying to patch a real need without boxing itself into a long commitment, that kind of profile is easy to understand, even if the price and the health questions still leave plenty unresolved. [Read more 🡒]