Keider Montero fired six shutout frames and the Tigers bullied Athletics pitching again to win 11-0 and complete a three-game sweep. The Tigers scored 32 runs in this series. No one player was really the hero as the offense pounded out 12 hits and drew nine walks, but Eduardo Valencia continued to rake, contributing a pair of two-run doubles to lead the way.
A.J. Hinch stacked up his right-handed hitters to face young lefty Gage Jump in this one. The 23-year-old got out to a really good start this season but has struggled quite a lot since late June. Riley Greene got a day off, while Max Clark was in against the lefty and Javier Báez was on the bench as well.
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Gleyber Torres led off and drew a walk from Jump. Dillon Dingler, the designated hitter in this one, followed with a single. Kevin McGonigle took a called strike three, and Eduardo Valencia also had a little trouble picking up Jump’s fastball after falling behind 0-2, and took a heater right down the gut for strike three as well. That was fine because Spencer Torkelson smoked a double that split the left and center fielders to the wall, scoring both baserunners for a 2-0 lead. Torkelson snatched third base on a pitch that squirted away from catcher Jonah Heim. Hao-Yu Lee ripped a hot one-hopper down the third base line but Tommy White made a really nice pick and saved a run by throwing Lee out.
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Montero took the bump knowing that as a fly ball pitcher, he needed to avoid mistakes in a very home run friendly Triple-A park. Donovan Walton popped out to shallow left field to start things off. Tyler Soderstrom ripped a hot one-hopper that clipped Montero in the heel, rode up his back, and stayed right there. Montero gloved it in the air and easily retired Soderstrom. Montero was laughing about it and quickly dismissed the training staff’s concerns and got back to business. He just missed to a 2-2 changeup to Heim and then yanked one to walk him. Tommy White squared up a sinker but Max Clark ran it down easily near the warning track.
Max Clark challenged a 2-1 fastball from Jump that was called a strike. The rookie was correct, and then Jump missed 3-1 to put the speedy center fielder on to begin the second inning. Malgeri then grounded a 3-1 pitch into a 6-4-3 double play, but the Tigers challenged the play at first and they were right again as Malgeri beat out the throw by a few inches. Zach McKinstry flew out in foul territory down the left field line, leaving it up to Torres as the lineup turned over. The first pitch to Torres was a passed ball that got Malgeri into scoring position, and the Tigers second baseman once again patiently waited out the youngster and drew a walk. Dingler took a called strike three to strand two.
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Lawrence Butler led off with a single, but Montero got a fly out and Alika Williams, former ASU teammates of Torkelson and Gage Workman, grounded into a force of Butler. Montero wasn’t getting many whiffs, and Valencia may have cost him a strike or two, but Jeff McNeil flew out to McKinstry, who had an…interesting route on the ball, to end the inning.
The Tigers went in order in the top of the third, but they did continue to wear on Jump, and he finished the inning at 55 pitches.
Montero got the first two hitters in the bottom half, but Soderstrom lined a one-hopper over the right field wall for a two-out double. Heim immediately hit a soft tapper in front of the plate and Valencia easily threw him out to send us to the fourth.
With one out in the top of the fourth, Max Clark put together another patient at-bat and walked for the second straight plate appearance. Malgeri worked a full count and Jump’s effectively wild routine was wearing thin. Heim wasted a challenge, but the pitch was low and there were two on for McKinstry. Jump fell behind 2-0 again, and McKinstry smoked a line drive just over Walton at second for a sharp single. The runners had to wait a beat as Walton leapt for it, and so Billy Boyer held Clark at third, and the bases were juiced for Gleyber Torres. Former Tigers right-hander Elvis Alvarado was warming in the pen.
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Gleyber Torres got an 0-1 heater and paddled it back through the box for a two-run single. McKinstry went first to third just ahead of the throw, and it was 4-0 Tigers. Dingler had some trouble with Jump’s slider and struck out.
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Jump’s outing looked like it would end either way after McGonigle, and the Tigers rookie got ahead 3-1 and eventually walked to load the bases for Valencia. Mark Kotsay brought in Alvarado, and his triple digit heat remains intact. Valencia fouled off a triple digit 0-2 pitch, and then Alvardo dropped a slider right down the middle and Valencia came through once again, smashing a two-run double to left. Mwahaha. 6-0 Tigers. Torkelson flew out, and a now rested Montero took the mound with a big old lead.
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Montero got a pair of quick outs on routine contact, then walked Carlos Cortes with two outs in the bottom half. Alika Williams popped out to Torres to end the inning. Montero hadn’t been terribly efficient and still didn’t have a strikeout to this point, but he was at 58 pitches and looked primed to go six. The Tigers went in order against Alvarado in the top of the fifth, with Lee and Malgeri flying out, and Clark striking out swinging.
Montero dropped in a perfect 0-2 slider to McNeil to start the bottom of the fifth. Valencia failed to challenge it, and McNeil fouled off a pair of heaters before flying out to McKinstry in right field. Henry Bolte fouled a 2-2 fastball right back into the mask of home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak. He was shaken up, and after a little concussion testing, it was determined that he needed to leave the game. Adam Beck moved from second base to the home plate umpire spot, and there was a lengthy delay as the umpiring crew talked it through.
When play finally resumed, Montero plunked Bolte with the first pitch he threw. Walton slapped a grounder to third and Lee to McGonigle to Torkelson, who made a nice diving scoop while keeping his toe on the bag, recorded a double play to end the inning.
Lefty Hogan Harris took over in the sixth. Zach McKinstry greeted him with a single up the middle. He took second on a wild pitch, and Torres drew a walk. Dingler chased a rainbow curveball down and struck out for the third time in this one. The success at hammering breaking stuff may be getting him a little too aggressive at this point. McGonigle grounded into a double play to send us to the bottom half.
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Montero punched out Soderstrom with a slider for his first strikeout of the game. Heim flew out to Clark, but Tommy White got ahead 3-0. Montero then threw two fourseamers right on the outer edge which were absolute perfection, and then whiffed him on a slider right on the corner to send us to the seventh. Montero was through six with just two hits and two walks allowed. Montero’s ERA is down to 3.17 with a WHIP right at 1.00. Impressive stuff despite the relative lack of strikeouts.
Right-hander Hayden Juenger was on for the Athletics in the seventh. Hao-Yu Lee lined a two-out single to center field after a sleepy pair of innings for the offense in triple digit heat and holding a big lead. Max Clark got a first pitch heater on the outer edge and went with it, barrelling a line drive single to left field. Hinch wasn’t sitting on this lead, and he pinch hit Colt Keith for Ben Malgeri to try and cash in these baserunners. He worked into a full count but Juenger tied him up with a heater inside and he popped out.
Tyler Holton succeeded Montero in the seventh. He racked up three routine ground balls, but the third one was right on the third base line and Lee clanged it trying to circle around to a better throwing angle, allowing Williams to reach. McNeil singled up the middle and just past a diving McGonigle. Clark hustled and got to it quickly to hold Williams at second, and the Tigers turned to Drew Anderson with the right-handed hitting Bolte digging in at the plate. A 1-1 changeup got a routine grounder to McGonigle to end the seventh inning. Still 6-0 Tigers.
Lefty Ben Bowden took over for the A’s in the eighth, while the Tigers continued to wage war on the pythag. Torres walked for the fourth time on the day with one out, then Dingler was clipped on the right wrist, and fortuantely appeared no worse for wear. Good grief this Athletics team is terrible…and a wild pitch advanced the runners, while a walk to McGonigle loaded the bases. That brought up Valencia, and you know the big man wants to eat. Feast he did, getting a 3-1 fastball down and smoking a one-hopper off the left field wall for a two-run double. Spencer Torkelson dumped a single into center field to score McGonigle and it was 9-0 Tigers. Hao-Yu Lee grounded into a force of Torkelson at second, and Valencia scored to make it 10-0. Max Clark popped out, mercifully ending the inning.
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The Tigers had now scored eight or more runs in five straight games for the first time since August 2 of 1996, exactly 30 years ago.
Anderson punched out Walton to start the bottom of the eighth, and Soderstrom flew out to James Outman, who had taken over in left field and replacing Keith in the lineup. Heim dumped a bloop single to right field with two outs. Anderson flew away Tommy White with high heat to send us to the ninth.
The A’s moved their DH, Cortes, to the mound to preserve whatever is left of that pitching staff. James Outman took advantage, launching a solo shot off the soft tossing lefty to right field for a 11-0 lead. After a pair of ground outs, Dingler singled, but McGonigle flicked a little breaking ball to left to end the inning. Everyone, most especially the A’s, just wanted this one over.
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Enmanuel de Jesus took over to finish this game off. Brian Serven, former Tiger, singled on a grounder that Hao-Yu Lee couldn’t quite glove. Jeff McNeil singled with two outs, but de Jesus whiffed Bolte to end it.
The White Sox and the Guardians both won, while the Twins lost on Sunday. The Tigers remain 2.5 games back in the wild card hunt and 5.5 games back in the AL Central. Casey Mize is scheduled to start on Tuesday in Seattle, but we’ll see if he’s still a Tiger or not at that point.
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