Maton rises to the occasion with off-the-bench performance

MIAMI -- It may have been a homecoming for Miguel Cabrera, but it was Nick Maton who stole the show in the Tigers’ series opener on Friday night.

After the club got off to a slow start early, Maton played a role in all three of Detroit’s rallying runs to challenge Miami in the late innings, though the Tigers ultimately fell short, 6-5, against the Marlins’ potent offense at loanDepot park.

“We didn't get into the game great,” manager A.J. Hinch said postgame. “We didn't finish it great. But late in the game, we played well to get ourselves back into a couple of really big at-bats. But they continued to play, too, I mean, they're a good team who's going to play their 27 outs, too.”

Maton, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo two weeks ago, went 2-for-2 with two RBIs after pinch-hitting for Zack Short in the seventh inning, when the Marlins went to their bullpen. The Tigers had been waiting for left-hander Braxton Garrett to get knocked out of the game before calling on the lefty-hitting Maton, who hasn’t had a hit against a southpaw yet this season (11 at-bats).

In that first at-bat, Maton reached on a single and then was caught stealing second for what would have been the third out of the inning. But the Tigers challenged the call, which was overturned upon review -- Maton’s first stolen base of the year.

Three batters later, Spencer Torkelson broke through with his first hit after striking out in each of his first three at-bats, roping a single down the third-base line into shallow left field as Maton chugged around the bases to score and cut the Marlins’ lead to 4-2.

“Pumped to go through a challenge and then [have it] go my way,” Maton said. “It's good stuff.”

Maton then played hero -- momentarily -- in the eighth, hitting a two-run double off JT Chargois to tie the game and force the Marlins to battle, something that had seemed unlikely after Miami pulled ahead 4-0 after three innings.

“I knew he didn't really even have his stuff right there,” Maton said. “So just trying to zone him in, and then it got to a 3-2 [count] and [I was] just looking for something over plate and I put a good swing on a sinker.”

A good swing indeed. Maton’s double left his bat with a 104.4 mph exit velocity and went 332 feet, according to Statcast, into the right-center gap.

“He’s waiting around for the righty matchup,” Hinch said, “and we got it for him twice. And he got the fortunate hit on the little infield scribbler, and then a really big at-bat against one of their righty relievers who, you know, we're trying to match up for that at-bat. And he stays in the at-bat, he gets the ball, stays off the balls down below the zone, which is good when he can stay disciplined and get a better pitch to hit. Don't have to homer to contribute.”

The key for Maton to find success, which has been hit or miss thus far this season, is his ability to see balls and strikes. In that eighth-inning at-bat, the 26-year-old took a pair of balls, then took a called strike down and away before fouling off a near identical pitch. He took one more ball, this one down and inside, before getting a middle-middle 96.8 mph sinker.

Maton hasn’t been in the Majors consistently since he debuted with the Phillies in 2021. He’s had, like Hinch said, an off-and-on season since he was acquired by the Tigers in January along with Matt Vierling, but in the 11 games since his mid-July recall, Maton is hitting .240, a vast improvement from the .163 he hit before he was optioned at the end of June.

“It’s been a little bit of good and bad,” Hinch said of Maton’s play since returning to the Majors. “It's not going to be perfect, and the one thing that he's generally done OK during this time of good and bad performance has been swinging at strikes. He generally knows what a ball and strike is, he generally is going to lay off pitches that are on the borderline. He's continuing to try to get better pitches to hit when he does that. You can see some contributions like tonight. When he doesn't, you know, that's when he struggles.”

“We believe in him as a hitter,” Torkelson said. “He's a really good hitter, really good player, and it's cool to see him swinging like that.”