The Tigers handled business Friday night at Comerica Park, rolling past the Rockies 6-2 and stretching their win streak to two. Colorado, meanwhile, absorbed its fifth straight loss and fell to 55-92.
Detroit got the kind of outing it needed from Framber Valdez, who wasn’t piling up strikeouts but still turned in another quality start. He worked through some early traffic, kept the game moving in the right direction, and left the rotation in good shape for the rest of the series.
Jackson Jobe is lined up to start the finale on Sunday, but Saturday’s game had been less settled. The ideal option would have been Keider Montero, except Montero is away from the club after traveling to Venezuela to be with his wife as they await the birth of their first child.
The Tigers are expected to place him on the paternity leave list, which opens a roster spot while he’s away. Under MLB rules, that leave can last no more than three games, so Montero should be back as soon as possible.
That leaves Andrew Sears as the likely starter for Game 2 against Colorado. Sears was sent to Triple-A Toledo on Sept. 6 after his last start for Detroit, which came against the Cleveland Guardians.
He pitched well in that outing, going 5.2 innings and allowing four hits, one run, two walks and four strikeouts. For the season, Sears has appeared in three games, including one start, and has a 4.38 ERA across 12.1 innings with a 1.22 WHIP.
For a team trying to piece together innings as the season winds down, Sears fits the moment. The left-hander gives Detroit more depth, and this turn against a Rockies club that has struggled all year could be his best shot yet to pick up his first Major League win.
In Other News...
Tigers May Have Found A Surprise Arm In The Casey Mize Deal
The Casey Mize trade was always going to be measured by the big-league arms and names at the top, but Jackson Wolf has quietly made it worth a closer look for Detroit. Since joining the Tigers organization, the left-hander has turned in a sharp stretch of work, putting together a 1.63 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings across six appearances, a notable bounce from the rougher version the Tigers got in the deal.
Wolf was hardly a headline prospect when Detroit acquired him. He had been struggling in Triple-A El Paso with a 7.05 ERA and wasnt ranked in the Padres pipeline, which is part of what makes this early turnaround interesting for a Tigers team always looking for usable pitching depth. Whether this becomes a real role for Wolf in Detroit is still to be determined, but his recent form has given the front office an unexpected arm to keep tracking. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Suddenly Face A Wenceel Perez Problem They Can't Ignore
Wenceel Prezs season has hit an unexpected stop at exactly the wrong time for Detroit, with an orbital bone injury from a postgame workout ending his year and knocking him out of baseball activities for now. He is still rehabbing, but the Tigers have been left to sort through a roster picture that already has other moving parts, including Keider Montero headed for the paternity list.
Jack Flaherty is lined up for a simulated game and could be activated soon, while Justin Verlander is set to throw off a mound without facing hitters, so the pitching side keeps inching forward. Even so, Prezs absence lingers as a separate concern because the injury removes an outfield option the club had been counting on, and the longer he stays away from baseball work, the harder it is for Detroit to know what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Verlander Just Took A Step Tigers Fans Have Been Waiting On
Justin Verlanders rehab took a noticeable turn at Comerica Park, where the veteran right-hander threw off the mound against simulated batters as he continues working back from a hamstring injury. The session was a welcome checkpoint for the Tigers, who have been waiting to see how his body responds after the setback, and the early read was encouraging with his velocity and intensity both standing out.
Detroit still has not put a specific return date on Verlander, but the club remains hopeful he can make a late-season appearance if the ramp-up keeps trending in the right direction. Jack Flaherty also took part in a simulated game as he works his way back from right flexor tendon inflammation, giving the Tigers two important rehab watch points as they try to sort out the final stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]