For one night, the Tigers finally looked like a team that might be turning a corner before the last out ever arrived. That feeling didn’t last, but the finish did enough to keep Detroit from leaving Minnesota empty-handed.
After two blowout losses to the Twins, the Tigers jumped in front early behind rookie John Peck, who picked up his first major league hit and drove in his first two runs. Detroit kept building in the fifth and sixth innings, getting RBI from Hao-Yu Lee, Riley Greene, and Peck again to push the lead to 6-1 by the bottom of the sixth.
The trouble started after that. Drew Anderson allowed another run before exiting, Tyler Kinley followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and then Drew Sommers took over in the eighth.
Sommers had been pitching better lately, but his luck ran out quickly. He opened the inning by allowing a leadoff single, then hit a batter and surrendered another single to load the bases.
Kenley Jansen came in with one out to clean it up, but the Twins still tied the game with a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single.
Detroit answered in extra innings. The game stayed tied at six through 11, then the Tigers broke loose for five runs in the 12th, with Spencer Torkelson and Javy Báez helping finish off a win that was only Detroit’s fifth in its last 20 games.
It was the sort of offensive surge the Tigers have been waiting to see. But it doesn’t erase the bigger issue hanging over the roster: this bullpen needs a serious overhaul in the offseason.
At the moment, Detroit is carrying Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, Tyler Holton, Jacob Waguespack, Tyler Kinley, Sommers, Yilber Díaz, Andrew Sears, and Beau Brieske in the bullpen. Jansen and Kinley are both set to become free agents after the season, and once they’re gone, only four of those arms really look like keepers.
Finnegan may need to be non-tendered. Díaz could still get more chances, but he already looks like a disaster. Brieske isn’t the same pitcher he was when he was a key piece of Detroit’s 2024 run.
The group worth holding onto, at least for now, is Holton, Waguespack, Sommers, and Sears. Anderson should move back to the bullpen in 2027. The hope is that Will Vest is ready by Opening Day, and the Tigers need to sign two late-inning relievers to replace Jansen and Finnegan.
That’s easier said than done. Scott Harris has not exactly had a strong track record when it comes to signing free-agent pitchers. Still, there are some notable names who should be out there, including Raisel Iglesias, David Bednar, and Adrian Morejon.
Even if the offseason ends up being defined by bullpen moves, that may still be enough for Tigers fans after the way this season has gone.
In Other News...
Tigers Give Fans One Last Comerica Moment With Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander is getting one more Comerica Park sendoff as the Tigers close out their final home stand of the season. Detroit announced a two-day celebration for the longtime ace on Sept. 25 and 26, when fans attending the games against the Pittsburgh Pirates will be treated to Verlander-themed giveaways, including a bobblehead and cheer cards.
It fits the moment for a pitcher who defined so much of the Tigers modern identity and is now retiring after a 21-season career, most of it in Detroit. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred already has recognized Verlander as an honorary All-Star, and the home crowd will now get a final chance to salute him at the ballpark where so many of his biggest memories were made. [Read more 🡒]
Casey Mize May No Longer Be The Tigers Reunion Fans Wanted
Casey Mizes path since leaving Detroit has not gone the way many Tigers fans might have imagined when they looked at him as a possible reunion candidate. Health problems have slowed him down, and the results have followed, with a 6.67 ERA in six starts after being traded to the San Diego Padres. For a pitcher who once represented a possible part of the Tigers future, the picture has changed enough that his return no longer feels like a clean fit.
Detroits rotation picture for 2027 is already pointing toward a group built around younger arms, which gives the front office a different kind of decision to make. With that in mind, the Tigers may decide not to re-sign Mize if he reaches free agency, choosing instead to keep the runway open for the pitchers they are trying to develop. It leaves his status as a reunion candidate hanging in a way that would have been hard to picture a few years ago. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers May Have Found An Infield Option Worth Watching
John Pecks first night in a Tigers uniform was the kind of debut that can buy a young infielder more than a little breathing room. Promoted from Triple-A Toledo, he stepped into Detroits lineup and responded with his first two Major League hits, driving in three runs in a 12-inning win over the Twins and giving the club another glimpse of a player who arrived with a real chance to matter.
A.J. Hinch signaled that the Tigers intend to keep Peck around for a while and let him settle in at the Major League level. Considering it came in just his third big league game, the performance only adds to the sense that Detroit may have uncovered a useful infield option at a time when every productive bat and reliable glove can matter, even if the long-term picture still has some sorting out to do. [Read more 🡒]