Tigers score another wild walk-off win against the Dodgers

DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers are going into the break with a bang.

The Tigers came from behind to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second straight game, winning 4-3 in a wild walk-off at Comerica Park on Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers (47-50) won two of three games against the Dodgers (56-41) and go into the All-Star break with eight wins from their last 10 games.

Zach McKinstry opened the ninth with a triple down the right field line. He scored the tying point on Justyn-Henry Malloy’s RBI single. Then all the chaos started. Ryan Vilade laid down a sacrifice bunt that pitcher Yohan Ramirez fended off as he tried to catch it. Then Wenceel Perez laid down another sacrifice bunt. Ramirez turned and threw the ball wildly to third base, allowing Malloy to sprint home with the winning run.

Tigers veteran Kenta Maeda did not start the game after being moved to the bullpen due to poor performance, but he pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings as a relief pitcher, recording five strikeouts.

The Dodgers scored three in the first inning, aided by an umpire error and an even more costly mistake. Tigers right fielder Wenceel Perez misread a high fly ball from Will Smith that landed much closer to the infield than expected. He recovered too late and the ball bounced off his glove as he sprinted into the inning. Later in the inning, a throwing error by shortstop Zach McKinstry gave the Dodgers an extra base, which they eventually converted into a run.

The Tigers had hoped that opening hitter Beau Brieske would give them a few innings, but he only managed a laborious 27-pitch first outing.

The rest of the Tigers’ bullpen day went better. Tyler Holton pitched two scoreless innings before turning the game over to Maeda.

In the ninth inning, Tigers relief pitchers Jason Foley and Alex Faedo combined to load all bases, but Faedo fought back from a 3-0 lead, striking out Chris Taylor and ending the inning.

The Tigers got a run in the fourth inning when Colt Keith hit a single, advanced to third base on Matt Vierling’s double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gio Urshela. They got another run in the sixth inning when Riley Greene walked and scored.

Dodgers opener Brent Honeywell, who had been claimed off waivers just a day earlier, made the longest appearance of his career in his first start with his new team, pitching three scoreless innings and allowing just one single.

This story will be updated.

RESULT

Next: The Tigers have the next four days off. Their second game of the season against the Blue Jays begins on Friday at 7:07 p.m. at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Right-hander Reese Olson (4-8, 3.30 ERA) or Jack Flaherty (6-5, 3.13) will start for the Tigers.