Detroit – They played the waiting game.
They then played the game and as it turned out, the wait was worth it.
Jake Rogers, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter all hit home runs within five batters of each other as the Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 late Tuesday night after a two-hour, 45-minute stoppage due to a storm. The stoppage lasted two hours, 17 minutes, longer than the game itself.
It was Detroit’s fifth straight win and 12th in its last 15 games. And this win was extra special for the loyal fans (announced attendance: 18,258) who stayed until the end as the Tigers crossed the .500 mark, 67-66. They were nine games under .500 on July 4. The last time they were over .500 was June 4.
“You know, you can imagine we haven’t spent a lot of time talking about .500. That’s obviously a good accomplishment considering where we’ve been, but we’re not going to spend a lot of time talking about it,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said before the game. “I think our energy level, our enthusiasm, our attention to a lot of the subtle things in the game is getting better and better.”
“And that shows in the games, and it shows in the victories.”
The Tigers, who were handling the bats in a four-game sweep of the White Sox in Chicago, needed something to get going on Tuesday night. Johnny Cueto, looking to keep his major league career alive, struck out the first nine batters he faced, relying heavily on a nasty changeup. The second inning was problematic, however, as Parker Meadows led off the fourth with an opposite-field triple — which drew the loudest cheer of the night to that point, as groundskeepers jogged over to remove the tarp just before 9 — and scored two batters later on Matt Vierling’s opposite-field double.
Vierling got to third base when Angels right fielder Jo Adell misplayed the ball, then scored on Carpenter’s single up the middle to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.
Cueto (0-2) scored in three consecutive innings as the Tigers became aggressive early in the game.
RESULT: Tigers 6, Angels 2
MLB TABLES
With two outs in the fifth inning, Rogers hit a home run to center field — the ball flew right over Comerica’s new “Roar of ’84” lawn mowing pattern as the Tigers prepare to honor the 1984 World Series champions this weekend. It was Rogers’ 10th home run of the season, breaking a 2-2 tie. As far as I can remember, it was the first time he hit a home run to center field at Comerica Park, where the fences were moved, but it’s still quite a blow.
“If Rog can do it,” Rogers joked, “anyone can.”
No joke.
As the first batter of the following inning, Greene hit nearly the same spot as Rogers to hit his team-best 19th home run as he raised his arm and rounded the bases. Then, after Vierling walked, Carpenter, who has an OPS of .977 since being released from the injured list on Aug. 13, hit a home run to deep right-center field to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead and end Cueto’s night. It was Carpenter’s 13th home run of the season, and 11 of them have come at Comerica Park.
“It was kind of weird coming into the dugout,” Greene said after 11 p.m. Tuesday, on a day when he arrived at the stadium in the early afternoon after arriving in Detroit from Chicago after 2 a.m. The reason, he said, was because he was amped up from all kinds of caffeine.
“We all went pretty much right down the middle.”
The power surge in the middle of the inning, with all home runs over 420 feet, was more than enough for the Tigers, who once again delivered a strong pitching performance.
Brant Hurter (2-1), making his fifth major league appearance but his first start, allowed a run in the first inning as the Angels got some nice early signs, from leadoff man Taylor Ward’s line-shot double to left, then Zach Neto’s long flyout to center and Nolan Schanuel’s infield hit on one out, a cue shot that Ward made contact on and really gave Hurter no chance. Hurter then walked the next batter, Kevin Pillar, but got Logan O’Hoppe to make a line out to center. After blocking runners on second and third base, he struck out Anthony Rendon, ending the inning.
Hurter struck out 10 in a row from the first through the fifth innings as the Angels scored another run against him. Adell started with a triple to right, and Vierling’s throw missed the cutoff man; otherwise there might have been a play at third base. Hurter struck out the next batter, Jack Lopez, but Ward hit a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-2.
Hurter played five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks and striking out four players.
“We won,” Hurter said with a broad smile after becoming only the second Tiger ever (Jeff Weaver) to go three or more innings in each of his first five major league appearances while allowing four or fewer hits and three or more strikeouts.
“I wasn’t too happy with my performance. I don’t think I landed slow at all. I just got away with the sinker and Rog just helped me. The defense helped me.”
Brenan Hanifee relieved Hurter and all he did was throw 2.2 perfect innings, record two strikeouts, and leave the field in the eighth inning to thunderous applause from the small but vocal crowd.
Shelby Miller pitched one inning but couldn’t finish it. He allowed a two-out single before hitting a batter, and Hinch turned to Jason Foley for the final out. And Foley, with the rest of the fans almost on their feet, got it done, getting Adell on a ground out to end the game and earning his 18th save. The Tigers have a 2.72 ERA as a team since August 3.
The Tigers and Angels continue their series on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. as the Tigers continue to search for their first winning season since 2016.
“I’m proud,” Hinch said, “of the way we play.”
@tonypaul1984
