The Tigers didn’t just finish off the Rockies on Sunday afternoon - they put the whole weekend series away with authority. Detroit rolled to an 8-1 win in the finale, leaning on early power, a big inning in the second, and a strong start from Jackson Jobe to complete the home sweep.
Colorado actually struck first when Adael Amador opened the game with a solo home run. That lead didn’t last long. Colt Keith followed with a ground-rule double, and Riley Greene answered with a two-run homer to swing the game right back to Detroit in the first inning.
From there, the Tigers kept piling on. In the second, Max Clark singled, stole second, and came home on John Peck’s single.
Zach McKinstry and Peck both scored after Kevin McGonigle ripped a triple off the top of the right-centrefield wall, just under the yellow line, pushing Detroit in front 5-1. Colt Keith later walked with two outs, but Greene grounded out to end the inning.
Gabriel Hughes was done after that frame, with Zach Agnos taking over and getting through the third. Agnos didn’t have much more luck.
In the fourth, he walked the first three batters he faced, and Hao-Yu Lee’s shallow fly to right allowed McKinstry to score. Greene then singled in McGonigle for his third RBI of the day, making it 7-1.
Spencer Torkelson added the final blow in the fifth with a solo shot to left-centre, extending the cushion to 8-1.
While Detroit’s lineup kept adding on, Jobe was handling business on the mound. After giving up that first-inning homer and hitting a batter in the second, he settled in and looked sharp, pumping 99 mph heat, filling up the zone, and getting his breaking ball over.
He worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and one run while walking one and striking out eight. That was a career high for Jobe, who threw 56 of his 87 pitches for strikes.
Brant Hurter finished the seventh after Jobe exited, then worked into the eighth before giving way to Yilber Díaz. Díaz closed out the rest of the game, allowing a double with two outs in the ninth but otherwise finishing strong with a pair of strikeouts.
The final: Tigers 8, Rockies 1.
Colt Keith’s bat has shown some clear splits depending on where he’s playing. As a third baseman, he has an .824 OPS in 182 plate appearances. At DH, that drops to .677, and at first base it sits at .602.
Justin Verlander is still trying to get at least one more start in before his season-ending retirement. That’s not nothing; he could have coasted, but he hasn’t.
Keider Montero and his family also welcomed a baby girl, and he made it back to Venezuela just in time.
And on this day in 1848, Vermont railroad worker Phineas Gage survived an accident that sent a 1 1/4” (32 mm) steel rod through his head, destroying part of his brain. The injury changed his personality and became one of the most studied cases in psychology.
In Other News...
Justin Verlander Return Suddenly Feels In Play For Detroit
Justin Verlanders path back to the mound has moved from long-shot territory to something the Tigers have to keep at least one eye on as the regular season winds down. Hes making progress in his recovery, and manager A.J. Hinch said the veteran right-hander is on a seven-day plan that keeps the door open for a possible look in Detroits final series of the year. Before anything like that becomes real, Verlander still has bullpen work and a live batting practice or simulated game ahead of him.
The timing matters because Detroits pitching picture is still shifting, with Jack Flaherty also working back from injury and potentially available in relief before the season is over. There is still no firm commitment on Verlander, and the Tigers are clearly treating this as a process rather than a promise. Even so, the fact that his return is being discussed at all gives the late-season staff mix a different feel, especially with Wenceel Prez ruled out for the rest of the year after the eye injury that became an orbital fracture. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Young Core Is Giving Fans Real Reason To Believe
The Tigers finished off a three-game sweep of the Rockies with an 8-1 win, a tidy reminder that this version of the club is being driven by the kind of young talent fans have been waiting on. Riley Greene stayed in the middle of it again, helping fuel an offense that kept stacking runs with home runs and RBIs, while the overall feel around the lineup was less about one big burst and more about sustained pressure.
Jackson Jobe also gave Detroit exactly what it needed on the mound, turning in the sort of outing that can change how a team talks about its rotation going forward. With a seven-game road trip about to begin in Toronto, the Tigers are carrying more than a sweep with them. They are carrying evidence that the core is starting to look less promising in theory and more dangerous in practice. [Read more 🡒]