After gaining ground on the road, Tigers return home for key series

MINNEAPOLIS -- The last time the Tigers swept a four-game series from the Twins on the road, they were the Washington Senators playing at Griffith Stadium. Dizzy Trout and Virgil Trucks pitched complete-game victories in a getaway-day doubleheader to finish the sweep on June 13, 1948.

The last time Detroit swept a four-game series from the Twins anywhere was May 27-29, 1983, a series close enough that the only starter to get a win was Milt Wilcox, who pitched a complete-game four-hitter. The Tigers beat the same Twins reliever, Rick Lysander, three times, including both ends of a doubleheader.

The last time the Tigers swept any series in Minnesota was 2016, when they went 9-0 at Target Field, outscoring the Twins by a 65-25 margin. Victor Martinez hit .600 (18-for-30) with three homers, six doubles and 10 RBIs.

Whatever the state of the Twins after the Trade Deadline, sweeping any four-game series on the road is hard. Sunday’s pregame appearance by former Tiger tamer Corey Koskie for his induction into the Twins Hall of Fame might well have set the aura, but the Twins’ familiarity with Tigers starter Chris Paddack -- traded by Minnesota to Detroit on July 28 -- couldn’t have hurt their chances to avoid the sweep.

Once Brooks Lee punished his good friend for his first career grand slam to punctuate a six-run third inning, Detroit's four-game winning streak looked all but done, culminating in an 8-1 loss at Target Field. Still, the Tigers’ 5-2 road trip has them returning home in better condition than when they left, both in the standings and on the field. They remain 8 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland in the American League Central after the Guardians’ third consecutive loss to Atlanta.

“We feel good. We’re playing well,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “You try to win every game, but you know it’s not going to happen. But you come out of this winning a four-game series in the first three games. Wash this one off, go home, play a good Houston team.”

As Detroit prepares for a key three-game series against the AL West-leading Astros, who trail Detroit by just three games for the American League’s second seed and a first-round playoff bye, here’s what we learned about the Tigers from this trip:

1. Bullpen taking shape, still flexible

Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest recorded saves on this trip, the latter for the first time since the Tigers acquired Finnegan from the Nationals on July 31. But more than saves, their usage reflects the situational versatility that Hinch has sought from his bullpen since last season's pitching chaos. Vest recorded four outs ahead of Finnegan’s save Saturday, but Finnegan pitched the eighth inning three times on the trip, including both of Vest’s saves against the White Sox.

“As a reliever, you want to be careful not to kind of play along with the manager and just be ready whenever. But you start to see the method,” Finnegan said after Saturday’s save. “It's just about giving guys the best opportunity to be successful, playing the right matchups, giving guys a day off when they need it and keeping guys fresh. I think we're going to take these last two months and put ourselves in a good position to be where we want to be.”

2. End of bullpen in flux

The Tigers left Detroit last Sunday with Codi Heuer and Brant Hurter in their bullpen. Sawyer Gipson-Long replaced Heuer on Wednesday to provide innings behind Troy Melton’s spot start. Then Gipson-Long returned to Triple-A Toledo for lefty Bailey Horn to provide a fresh arm and help counter Minnesota’s left-handed hitters. Brenan Hanifee replaced Hurter on Sunday, the first day he was eligible to return after being optioned to Toledo on Aug. 2, to provide more innings and another right-handed option against the Astros while allowing Hurter to work on his command.

Expect more mixing and matching as August rolls on as Hinch tries to prepare for opponents, much like he did down the stretch last season.

3. Keith settling in at third

One of the domino effects of Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling being injured is a more regular presence at third base for Colt Keith, with Javier Báez getting near-regular time in center and Zach McKinstry mixing in more around the infield. The consistent at-bats seem to be helping Keith, who went 6-for-23 with a home run and six runs scored for the trip and is batting .318 with a .923 OPS in August. He doubled off the right-field wall and scored Detroit’s lone run on Sunday.

4. Long ball hurting the Sheriff

The Twins’ familiarity with Paddack -- and accordingly, their aggressiveness at the plate against him -- was a clear factor Sunday, just as it was a week and a half ago at Comerica Park. So his six home runs allowed over his past three starts include five against his former club. He won’t have to face the Twins again this season, but he has battled bouts of home runs during his career, including seven homers over five starts in August 2019, nine homers over six starts in August 2020 and six this past June. He will likely line up to face the Royals in his next two starts -- first in Detroit, then Kansas City. He has faced the Royals just twice in his career, most recently last year.

“I have to move on and get ready for another division team for my next outing, and [I need to] learn from this one and continue to grow and continue to show up with a positive attitude,” Paddack said. “I've got to fix some things. I've had some outings this year that aren't meeting my expectations as a whole. But it's obviously frustrating, especially against a former team.”