Detroit Tigers beat Los Angeles Dodgers in game nine to win the series
Detroit — The atmosphere in the Tigers’ clubhouse at Target Field on July 4 was like a funeral. No music. No entertainment. Just a bunch of battered-looking baseball players trying to regroup after losing five of their first seven games on a road trip with one city and three games left.
With a season low of nine games under .500, the only thing missing from this room was a trumpet player coming into play.
Put away the trumpet.
Since that day, the Tigers have swept the Reds in Cincinnati, won three of four games against American League Central Division leaders Cleveland, and, after a second thrilling comeback in the ninth inning, won two of three games against the National League West leaders Dodgers.
With the score 3-2 in the ninth inning on Sunday, Zach McKinstry led off with a triple against right-hander Yohan Ramirez. Justyn-Henry Malloy scored the equalizer with a single and then Ramirez botched two bunts, one by Ryan Vilade and the next by Wenceel Perez, allowing Malloy to score the winning run – 4-3 for the Tigers.
RESULT: Tigers 4, Dodgers 3
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The Tigers (47-50) are showing a positive trend before the All-Star break.
“I’m really proud of how these guys fought last week at halftime to give us some momentum,” said veteran Mark Canha, who battled hip and wrist soreness last week. “I was unfortunately a front rower for that, and in the worst way possible. But it was great to see this team come together and do what they did.”
These last two games have been emblematic of the Tigers’ inconsistency and resilience in the first half, especially on Saturday when they were down by five runs in the ninth inning and seemingly dead, but then came back to earn their 19th come-from-behind win.
On Sunday, they got off to a sluggish start and were already 3-0 down before their first at-bat.
Both teams opted for a bullpen game and Tigers opener Beau Brieske made the first two outs with seven pitches.
When the inning ended, he had thrown 27 pitches and scored three runs.
His problems began when Perez, the right fielder, misplayed a bloop in short right field off the bat of right-handed hitter Will Smith. Perez initially seemed to misread the ball off the bat and then the wind kept blowing it back into the infield.
The ball bounced off the inside of his wrist above his glove and was counted as a double.
Teoscar Hernandez ripped a 2-2 changeup from Brieske for a true RBI double and scored on a single from Andy Pages.
Miguel Rojas hit an infield single and Pages advanced to third base after shortstop McKinstry’s throw eluded first baseman Andy Ibanez. Rojas ran to second base and Pages eventually scored from third base as the Tigers were in the process of striking out Rojas on a rundown.
But things quickly calmed down. Left-hander Tyler Holton pitched two scoreless innings, and then veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda, who was sent to the bullpen earlier in the week, kept the Dodgers from scoring until the seventh inning.
Maeda looked like a completely different pitcher than the one who had given up 15 runs in his last two starts. His velocity was higher on all of his throws (2.3 mph on his splitter and 2.6 mph on his four-seam fastball). The movement on all of his throws was crisper.
He allowed just one infield hit by Shohei Ohtani and struck out five players in 3.2 innings, leaving the field to a warm welcome from the 35,159 fans at Comerica Park.
Andrew Chafin finished the seventh inning, Jason Foley the eighth and Alex Faedo the ninth. After Foley walked two Dodgers in the ninth inning, Faedo walked Gavin Lux to load the bases and then fell behind Chris Taylor, 3-0.
He gathered himself and struck him down with a 3-2 fastball.
And the Tigers, meanwhile, fought back. Urshela’s sacrifice fly in the fourth inning brought home Colt Keith, who hit a single and advanced to third base on a double by Matt Vierling.
In the sixth inning, a ground out by McKinstry brought home Riley Greene, who had advanced on a walk on a single by Carson Kelly and a fly out to right by Urshela.
The Tigers were able to steal a game for the second day in a row.
@cmccosky
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