Troy Melton kept rolling, the bullpen held firm, and the Tigers found just enough offense to leave San Francisco with a 3-1 win in 10 innings.
For much of the afternoon, this was a classic starter’s duel. Melton was trying to extend a scoreless run that had already seen him blank the Orioles and the Mariners for seven innings apiece in his previous two outings, and he matched up against Logan Webb with little room for error.
The first inning and a half flew by with almost nothing on the board, until Spencer Torkelson singled in the second for the game’s first hit. He didn’t move any farther.
The Giants threatened in that same inning when Drew Gilbert lined a triple with two outs, but Melton answered by getting Daniel Susac to ground out to Colt Keith at third. The right-hander worked through another jam in the fourth after Willy Adames opened with a single. Melton struck out Osleivis Basabe, then watched Gilbert send a fly ball down the right-field line that Zach McKinstry tracked down before firing a perfect strike to the plate to cut down Basabe and end the inning.
Detroit finally broke through in the sixth. McKinstry led off with a single, Kevin McGonigle followed, and McKinstry advanced to third on the play.
Gleyber Torres then grounded into a double play, but it was enough to bring home the game’s first run and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Melton kept cruising from there, retiring eight straight batters after Adames’ single in the fourth.
The lead didn’t last. In the seventh, Devers opened with a single and that ended Melton’s night.
Kyle Finnegan took over, got Basabe to force Devers at second, then saw Basabe steal second and move to third when Eduardo Valencia’s throw sailed high into center field. Gilbert then chopped a dribbler to Keith, but the only play was a barehand try and it didn’t work.
Basabe scored to tie it 1-1. Finnegan stopped the damage there, striking out the next hitter, and Drew Sommers followed by punching out Grant McCray to keep the game level.
Webb wasn’t finished either. In the eighth, Valencia lined a two-out double that one-hopped over the left-center field wall, but he was left stranded.
The Giants then put Sommers under real pressure in the bottom half. Christian Koss led off with a single, Bryce Eldridge reached when McGonigle had to range deep in the hole, and a bunt attempt by Jung Ho Lee turned into a strikeout.
Willy Adames worked a walk to load the bases, but Sommers escaped with a huge double play. He got Devers to roll a grounder to Torres, who flipped to McGonigle and on to first to double off Devers and strand all three runners.
The ninth belonged to the bullpens. Dylan Smith struck out the side for the Giants, then Kenley Jansen answered by doing the same for Detroit, fanning Basabe, Gilbert, and Cavanaugh. Jansen has allowed only one run since late June, and he made sure the Tigers had a shot in extras.
They got it in the 10th against Sam Hentges. Riley Greene started on second, and Hao-Yu Lee came off the bench to pinch-hit for Colt Keith.
On a 3-2 fastball in, Lee sent a soft single the other way over Devers at first, and Greene came around to score. Torkelson followed with a single to center, and Lee took third aggressively.
Max Clark then grounded to Adames but beat the double-play turn as Lee crossed the plate to make it 3-1.
Jason Foley handled the bottom of the 10th for San Francisco and struck out Valencia before McKinstry drew a walk. McGonigle then went down on strikes to end the Tigers’ half, but Tyler Holton shut the door with authority. He struck out Buddy Kennedy on a changeup, froze Koss on three pitches with a cutter, and finished Eldridge the same way to lock down the win.
The Tigers wrapped up the road trip at 7-9, and Melton again looked every bit like a frontline arm. The bats didn’t pile up runs, but the pitching staff gave them everything they needed.
In Other News...
Tarik Skubal Just Reopened A Debate Tigers Fans Thought Was Over
Tarik Skubals future has put the Tigers back in a familiar and uncomfortable spot, with the left-hander saying on a podcast that he hopes extension talks with Detroit can pick back up in November and that he would love to return. For a fan base that had already moved on from the idea of keeping him long term, the comments reopened a conversation that had seemed settled, and they landed with even more force because Skubal had just been traded to the Dodgers.
Still, the reaction in Detroit has been far from warm and fuzzy. Some fans are skeptical because of reports that Skubal made no real effort to work out an extension before the trade, and that leaves the front office in a tough position as it weighs whatever comes next. The Tigers have not exactly encouraged anyone to assume a reunion is inevitable, so even with Skubal floating the idea of a comeback, the story still feels more like a negotiation waiting to happen than a homecoming in the making. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Took A Deadline Gamble Fans In The Playoff Race Will Feel
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What happens next for the Tigers will tell the story of whether this was a painful short-term hit or a necessary reset for the future. The front office is clearly betting on the long view, but with the rotation now reshaped and the playoff path suddenly more complicated, the reaction from fans may depend on how quickly the new group can hold up in the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Showed Something Important In Final Road Trip Test
The final road trip stop at Oracle Park offered the Tigers a little bit of everything, and the photo-driven look at the game captured how much had to go right just to keep pace. There were sharp defensive plays, timely outs, pitching changes and a steady stream of action on both sides, the kind of game that can reveal whether a team is staying crisp late in a trip or starting to drift.
For Detroit, the bigger takeaway was less about any one swing or sequence than the way the group kept responding inning by inning. Against a Giants club that made them work for nearly every inch, the Tigers were forced into the sort of game where details matter, and the snapshot-by-snapshot account showed a team still competing cleanly in a tough setting. [Read more 🡒]