DETROIT -- The Padres arrived in town in the wee hours of Monday morning after playing Sunday night in Houston, where Luis Arraez had stayed behind after a nasty collision that landed him on the concussion IL. If they were hoping for a wake-up call at Comerica Park, the Tigers weren¡¯t giving it to them. They win in part by wearing teams out.
The Tigers entered Monday leading the American League with an average of 20 first-inning pitches seen per game. On Monday night, they worked Padres starter Randy V¨¢squez for 30. It not only nullified San Diego¡¯s early run off Detroit starter Keider Montero, it set the tone for three consecutive two-run innings, sending the Tigers to a 6-4 win in the opener of a three-game series between teams with two of baseball¡¯s hottest starts.
Both teams are tied for the best record in their respective leagues. Both have kept winning in spite of mounting injuries. While the Padres added Arraez to an injury list that includes Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, Jason Heyward and a slew of pitchers, the Tigers won Monday with Kerry Carpenter on the bench, day-to-day with a mild right hamstring strain.
Detroit¡¯s outfield has so many absences that Zach McKinstry, whose versatility is a key cog of his game, is essentially an everyday right fielder. Former All-Star shortstop Javier B¨¢ez started Monday in center field, and will likely platoon there with Riley Greene while Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows and Wenceel P¨¦rez work their way back from the injured list.
Both teams have stars carrying a heavy offensive load ¨C Fernando Tatis Jr. for the Padres, Spencer Torkelson for the Tigers. But the Tigers also have an ability to grind at-bats and innings. They¡¯re not afraid to work a walk or a single, move baserunners and create an RBI opportunity for the next hitter ¨C a pass-the-baton mentality.
¡°We¡¯re just grinding in the box; that¡¯s what it comes down to,¡± said Riley Greene, whose two-out RBI single in the second inning snapped his 0-for-12 start with two outs and runners in scoring position. ¡°We¡¯re trying to go deep in counts all the time. We¡¯re trying to see pitches and we¡¯re trying to hit barrels.¡±
Though V¨¢squez entered Monday with a 1.74 ERA, his underlying stats showed his vulnerability: 14 walks over 20 2/3 innings, compared to just eight strikeouts. He ranked near the bottom of the league in strikeout and whiffs rates, according to Statcast. His expected ERA was 5.71, according to Baseball Savant.
Once Gleyber Torres hit V¨¢squez¡¯s second pitch of the night for a leadoff single, the Tigers went to work. McKinstry, batting second with Carpenter out, fouled off three consecutive pitches in an eight-pitch battle before turning on a cutter inside and ripping a drive to the right-field corner for an RBI triple. It was the Tigers¡¯ first extra-base hit in 13 innings since Torkelson¡¯s three-run homer off Royals starter Seth Lugo on Saturday.
¡°That helps so much, seeing so many pitches from him,¡± McKinstry said. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about what they¡¯re doing to you and seeing their game plan against you.¡±
Greene saw five pitches before flying out to right. Torkelson taxed V¨¢squez for eight more pitches before striking out. Just when the Tigers seemed poised to squander a chance at an extra run, Colt Keith hit a hard bouncer that took a high hop on second baseman Xander Bogaerts and bounced into right field for a two-out RBI single.
Jace Jung, just recalled from Triple-A Toledo, worked ahead in the count all four times at bat. His fly out on a 2-2 pitch finally ended V¨¢squez¡¯s opening inning, but not his troubles.
V¨¢squez hit B¨¢ez with a curveball on the first pitch of the second inning, and the Tigers got rolling again. Backup catcher Tom¨¢s Nido singled home B¨¢ez and flipped the batting order. McKinstry battled V¨¢squez for eight pitches again, this time working a two-out walk and extending the inning for Greene¡¯s RBI single.
Back-to-back walks from Keith and Jung chased V¨¢squez with nobody out in the third. He threw 68 pitches across 15 batters and recorded six outs.
¡°Getting to their bullpen is not always a lot of fun,¡± manager A.J. Hinch said. ¡°But if you can apply pressure to them, you get your opportunities.¡±
Vasquez joined a list of taxed Tigers opponents this season, including Kansas City¡¯s Cole Ragans, who threw 96 pitches over four-plus innings last Friday.
Four of Detroit¡¯s six runs scored on two-out hits, capped by Torres¡¯ two-run single off Logan Gillaspie to convert their chance in the third.
McKinstry fell a home run shy of the cycle in a 3-for-4 performance. He and Torres became the first pair of 1-2 hitters in the Tigers lineup to record three hits in the same game since B¨¢ez and Greene on Sept. 24, 2022.