DETROIT -- After he joined the Tigers from the Orioles at the Trade Deadline, Charlie Morton made a late-season acquisition of his own: The 41-year-old endeared himself to his new teammates by adding an espresso machine to the Tigers' clubhouse. He had done the same during his previous stints with the Orioles, Rays, Braves and Astros. He’s neither a heavy coffee drinker nor a coffee snob, but he likes the art of coffee making.
“He’ll give you a 30-minute dissertation on espresso making,” manager A.J. Hinch joked.
His new Tigers teammates, Morton said, were more excited about it than his other stops.
“We’ve had it in there for a couple days, and I think the guys are interested and excited,” he added.
Considering the way the Tigers jumped Astros starter Framber Valdez on Wednesday afternoon, the jolt of caffeine might have translated. Then again, Wednesday’s 7-2 win at Comerica Park, completing a three-game sweep of the AL West leaders, isn’t the first time the Tigers have ridden a big opening inning this season.
“I feel like we’ve done a good job of that,” said Dillon Dingler, whose RBI triple made him one of six consecutive Tigers to reach base safely and score in the finale before Detroit’s first out. “We’ve had a few games like that, where we jump out to an early lead and then it allows you to kind of settle in but also not coast. You’re playing with a lead, and you’re playing a little looser.”
Detroit ranks among the top 10 teams in the Majors in first-inning runs, RBIs, batting average and OPS, despite ranking in the bottom half of the Majors in first-inning home runs. The Tigers brought all of that in the finale, saddling Valdez with as many earned runs in the opening inning (six) as he had allowed to the Tigers over the past three regular seasons combined, covering five starts and 36 innings.
Some of it could be a game plan, but big innings have troubled Valdez at various points this season. His struggles on Wednesday were partly self-inflicted, starting with back-to-back walks opening the game and unraveling with a pair of run-scoring wild pitches. But there’s a balance between waiting out a wild pitcher and being too passive at the plate, especially against a sinkerballer who thrives on outs in play like Valdez.
The Tigers, coming off Tuesday’s win on Gleyber Torres’ walk-off walk, seemed to find that balance from the outset.
“That’s about as impressive a collection of at-bats as you can ask for,” Hinch said. “From controlling the strike zone, drawing walks to not trying to do too much. … Framber’s really good, and he’s one pitch away from getting out of any of the messes that he’s in. And yet, we still continue to pass the baton along to the next guy. Everybody had a better impact.”
Indeed, the Tigers fell a home run shy of a cycle for the inning, and did so progressively. Andy Ibáñez, after taking a sinker for a called first strike at the top of the zone, got another one further down and went with it, sending a ground ball through the middle of an RBI single.
Spencer Torkelson took a curveball for a called strike, then chased a changeup off the plate. But the ensuing fly ball dropped just inside the right-field line for a ground-rule double.
Then came Dingler, whose right-handed bat and recent success led Hinch to start him at DH on a day he was off from catching. He chased a curveball in the dirt for strike two, but crushed the ensuing curveball that Valdez left over the middle. The resulting 413-foot drive sent center fielder Taylor Trammell crashing into the fence as it bounced for three bases and another run.
“You have to get [his pitches] up,” Dingler said, “because all the stuff’s moving down. He was bouncing some stuff, so it kind of just folds right into that approach. But I don’t think you should be passive.”
Valdez’s first out came on his 29th pitch with a Wenceel Pérez groundout, followed quickly by a Javier Báez ground ball through the left side with the infield in for another RBI single. Even with a Jake Rogers inning-ending double play, the Tigers batted around in the opening inning for the fifth time this season.
“Every at-bat that inning had a purpose,” Hinch said. “And the execution, while not being flawless, was pretty damn good. And I think when he put those at-bats together, we are a dynamic offensive team.”
It made for an easier afternoon for Morton, who beat his old club for the first time since 2019 with six quality innings and eight strikeouts.