DETROIT -- The good vibes that carried Matt Vierling through trying times this season just might have lifted the Tigers out of their most trying stretch of the year.
Somehow, Vierling had kept a positive attitude through a Spring Training rotator cuff injury, a long rehab process, a recurrence after just four games back at the end of May, then a slow July at the plate upon his return. It could’ve been worse, he thought. At least he didn’t have a rotator cuff tear. He’ll still have a chance to make a play and win a game.
As his eighth-inning drive soared into the Detroit evening sky Friday, powering the Tigers to a 6-5 win over the Angels and sending a packed crowd at Comerica Park into a frenzy, it was all worth it. His first home run in 11 months had impeccable timing.
“Just to get that win and get the boys fired up was huge,” Vierling said. “It felt like we needed it really, really bad, just the whole vibe and everything.”
That might be an understatement.
The Tigers came back from Thursday’s off-day with what was once a 15-game lead in the AL Central down to six after losing two of three to the Twins earlier in the week.
Momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher, as Jim Leyland loved to say, but Tarik Skubal gave up back-to-back homers Friday for the first time in four years, suffered a two-homer inning for the first time in three years and left without completing five innings for the first time since June 19, 2024. Even for a team that famously competes to the last out, Friday seemed to be getting away from them.
The Tigers needed a jolt, or at least that feeling of a victory. Vierling needed the feeling of a good swing on a ball going for a positive result. The intersection came together in a hurry.
While A.J. Hinch had three right-handed hitters waiting on Detroit’s bench to deploy, the Angels had three lefty relievers ready to counter. Timing was critical, and Hinch waited for the right situation. He held off when the Angels replaced starter Kyle Hendricks with lefty Brock Burke in the sixth for Kerry Carpenter.
Burke retired all four batters he faced, then Luis García stranded a runner on third in the seventh. Once Reid Detmers took the mound to begin the eighth in a two-run game, Hinch emptied his bench.
“We needed as many quality at-bats as we could get,” Hinch said.
Jahmai Jones hit for Colt Keith and drew a four-pitch leadoff walk. Gleyber Torres, who struck out twice in his previous three at-bats against Hendricks, battled for a six-pitch walk that brought the go-ahead run to the plate in Carpenter.
Hinch had Andy Ibáñez, who was 2-for-4 for his career off Detmers, including an RBI single three months ago in Anaheim. But Hinch liked the straightforward nature of hitting Vierling for Carpenter, outfielder for outfielder. He also liked the matchup, even though Vierling had never faced him.
“There are some things that we like about velocity and Matty,” Hinch said.
Carpenter had stayed in the game against Burke two innings earlier. This time, however, Hinch turned to Vierling, who was batting .224 after opening the season on the injured list with a rotator cuff strain.
Vierling hadn’t homered since last Sept. 4 off San Diego’s Yu Darvish, and had just three of 19 hits for extra bases -- all doubles. But he got all of Detmers’ 3-1 fastball and sent it deep to left.
“The boys had put together a couple good at-bats -- Jahmai, Gleyber,” Vierling said. “I got up there, felt like I was looking for a fastball or something kinda out over the plate, worked the count to 3-1 and was able to get that pitch.”
The homer went a projected 374 feet, according to Statcast. It lifted hitter and team alike.
“It's a race to as many wins as you can get to the end of the season, so every win matters,” Hinch said. “Everything in the game matters. And obviously Matty has been grinding and trying to find his impact. He can't make up for the first few months of being injured in one swing, but this can catapult him forward.”
Said Vierling: “I think that big comeback wins like this are momentum shifters. I obviously don't want to say what the future holds, but to get that win tonight, pick up Skub after he's probably picked us up 30 times in the past couple years, was huge for us. Just to see everybody in such a happy mood and kind of just fired up, hopefully it leads to something.”