Despite 9 walks, Tigers' 4th straight win anything but a free pass

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Tigers are back to grinding at-bats after a brief summer hiatus. With the stretch run in sight, their return couldn’t have come at a better time.

If the wait for the big hit to break open Saturday’s 8-5 win over the Twins seemed interminable, the abundance of chances came from Detroit's consistent approach. When the Tigers are right, that’s how it works: Keep piling up good at-bats and creating chances, and trust that someone will pull through.

“It’s part of the game. We didn’t get the big hit, but obviously we kept fighting,” said Trey Sweeney, whose seventh-inning single put the Tigers ahead for good. “What was big for us and paid off at the end is not getting discouraged by not bringing in runs. Kept going, kept putting pressure on them, and that helped us scratch a few there at the end.”

The Tigers took advantage of Minnesota’s young, rebuilt pitching staff for nine walks, Detroit's highest total in a game since Sept. 3, 2023, against the White Sox. The club had more walks (eight) than hits (seven) through its first six innings, including four walks each off starter Zebby Matthews and rookie reliever Travis Adams.

Some of them were fairly straightforward, like the pair of 3-0 counts Kerry Carpenter drew for free passes on a night when he hit the lone homer for either side. Some walks were far more complicated, like the 12-pitch battle Dillon Dingler had with Brooks Kriske, fouling off six pitches to stay alive for the walk ahead of Sweeney’s go-ahead single.

The Tigers had a .325 on-base percentage through the end of June, virtually tied with Seattle for third highest in the American League, helped by a walk rate that ranked fourth highest among AL teams through the end of May. Detroit's walk rate plummeted in June and July into the bottom third of the league. The Tigers drew just seven walks as a team in a nine-game span from July 23-Aug. 1, including four games with zero walks.

The Tigers went two-plus weeks without drawing at least three walks in a game until they saw three in one inning against the Angels, including two to set up Matt Vierling’s go-ahead three-run homer on Aug. 9. Since then, they’ve been much improved, but nothing like Saturday.

“Our at-bats were really good,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “I know there’s a lot of focus on the runners left on [base], but that’s part of it. You give yourself enough of a puncher’s chance and then you deliver a blow.”

For a while, it was fair to wonder when that blow might happen. The Tigers alternated walks and strikeouts against Matthews through four batters until Spencer Torkelson’s two-out RBI single, Detroit’s first ball in play, on Matthews’ 26th pitch. But they left two runners on, starting a theme.

Carpenter’s homer doubled the lead to 2-0, but Detroit had two on with nobody out from there and couldn’t get the run home. The Tigers had to scratch their heads after a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity went unrewarded, Zach McKinstry’s line drive headed right to first baseman Kody Clemens for a double play, then Dingler’s liner right at second baseman Austin Martin.

At one point, Detroit was 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, including nine runners left on base through five innings.

It would’ve been simple to press after that, especially after Brooks Lee tripled in two runs in the bottom of the fifth and the Twins went ahead on Royce Lewis’ sacrifice fly, all after Casey Mize cruised through four innings. But the Tigers stuck with their approach.

“It’s not easy, to be honest,” Sweeney said, “but I think that’s a good trait that a lot of our guys have. We’re never out of the game. Obviously, when we weren’t getting the big hits, we still had the lead, or we were tied. That’s encouraging in itself, not playing our best and still being able to lead the game.”

After Riley Greene tied the game in the sixth with a sacrifice fly following back-to-back walks, Dingler’s 12-pitch pass in the seventh set up Sweeney for the long-awaited big hit, a hard-hit grounder that Lewis couldn’t field at third. Pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones, looming all game for the Twins’ lone lefty reliever, greeted Kody Funderburk with an RBI double, followed by a wild pitch to score Sweeney.

The Tigers finished the game 4-for-21 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base. But generating that many chances was a sign of this offense getting back to form.

“We were due to break through,” said closer Kyle Finnegan, who pitched the ninth for his fourth save since joining the Tigers at the Trade Deadline.