The Tigers gather next to the Rays; magic number, now only one

Detroit – Manager AJ Hinch did not disappoint too much in this stunning march towards the play-offs. But on Thursday, he came pretty close when Jason Foley defeated Jose Siri to give the Tigers a dramatic 4-3 victory and a series win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

“This is a huge win for us,” Hinch said. “Especially how the game started and where we are in the season. We know what’s at stake. It’s an incredible experience and we don’t want it to end. It doesn’t have to end if we can keep playing like this. “

It was the Tigers’ fifth straight win, cutting their magic number and taking their wild card spot to two. Later on Thursday, the Twins lost to the Marlins in 13 innings. So the Tigers’ magic number was back down to one, and they were able to score corkers on Friday night.

“I know what it feels like to accomplish something,” said Hinch, who led the Astros to the 2017 World Series title. “And I really want these guys to be able to taste it. We’re getting closer. Day.”

The Tigers (85-74) are 30-11 since Aug. 11. All the elements, all the hallmarks of this late-season frenzy were on display on Thursday. It was their 36th comeback win and, like many others, it was a full-squad effort.

“Yeah, it was kind of even for us,” said rookie Colt Keith, who had the game’s two biggest swings. “We love to grind throughout the game, grind on shots and play until the end. We’ve done this many times. I love that about us. We never give up. AJ always says: play until the end.

“It was a good win for us, especially in the situation we found ourselves in.”

BOX SCORE: Tigers 4, Rays 3

MLB TABLES

The Tigers were completely hampered by old friend Tyler Alexander for five innings and fell from a 3-0 hole. The crowd of 27,867 was eager to have something to shout about.

“We just haven’t found anything before,” Hinch said. “We just needed something positive to happen.”

Enter Keith. Right-handed reliever Hunter Bigge had the first two outs in the sixth inning, and Matt Vierling, who manages to put his all-around stamp on most wins, walked. Keith, who had two rough tackles against Alexander, hit a three-pointer in the corner from the right wing, and Vierling rushed over and scored.

That’s when Hinch started pulling the strings. He sent Kerry Carpenter to hit Spencer Torkelson. Carpenter responded with an RBI single, making the game 3-2 and getting the crowd back into the game.

“Just an unselfish hitter,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “That’s what we were doing, putting unselfish sticks together.”

Hinch kept an eye out for the four left-handed relievers in the Ray bullpen. He had to be judicious when playing left-handed cards, and he also had to make sure he had a right-handed bat on hand late in the game. In the sixth set, he played the lefty Carpenter at exactly the right moment.

In the seventh inning, the Rays faced right-hander Kevin Kelly, whose unusual arm angle makes him strong against right-handed hitters. Hinch used left-handed hitters Zach McKinstry (for Rogers) and Jace Jung (for Andy Ibanez). Both batters were retired, but as left-hander Garrett Cleavinger warmed up for the eighth time, Hinch saved the last remaining right-hander, Justin-Henry Malloy.

“I’ve played him against almost every left-handed player since he was drafted,” Hinch said. “We were talking this morning about how they had four lefties in the pen and I was going to wait until he hit one of them at the end. And he buys it. He doesn’t sulk or wonder why he isn’t playing. .

“He had a specific role he had to prepare for.”

The eighth inning started with Riley Greene hitting the left-handed bat on left-hander, scoring one run. He aggressively took second after a ball in the dirt. After Vierling issued another walk, Keith fired again, hitting a single up the middle that scored Greene.

“I knew he was going to throw the weight and try to get me to roll over,” Keith said. “So I really wanted to stay inside. That was my plan. He dropped the weight and I checked my swing. The next one was right on the inside half of it and I was able to stay there.”

Hinch was impressed by the maturity of Keith’s attack.

“A lot of times guys want to play heroes in different ways,” he said. “They’re going to try to shoot out and hit a homer on the side. But sometimes a single one is enough.”

Vierling, who played in three positions in the match, including in the starting lineup for the first time in two years, was the starting player of the match. Keith’s single led to third, even though the ball went to Siri up the middle. Siri has one of the best throwing hands in the game, and Vierling beat him twice in the round.

“He always finds a way to contribute to winning,” Hinch said. “It was a difficult match. Once again, trying to play the hero ends in failure. Keep the line moving.”

This set the stage for Malloy. He came off the bench and calmly picked up the ball in mid-air to center it deep enough for Vierling to hit the target, challenge Siri, and score from third in the winning run.

“It’s amazing,” Carpenter said. “What he did on the bench against Cleavinger is much better than people will ever give him credit for. This guy (Cleavinger) is a real stud. Seeing these young guys together on offense is impressive.”

Remember, it was Carpenter Malloy who did the punching. Carpenter carries a team-best .931 OPS pistol. He has 17 homers. And there he was, being Malloy’s biggest fan at that point. Among the many traits that define the Tigers team, a lack of ego is high among them.

“I think it’s always been like that,” Carpenter said. “I was thinking about it recently, there is no ego on this team. Tork gets pinched. I get the pinch. Anyone and everyone can do it, regardless of what the game says. It’s impressive that the guys coming off the bench are as productive as they are.

“Maybe if they didn’t have so much success on the bench they wouldn’t have had so much success, but it’s impressive. I have a lot of confidence in J-Hen and everyone else. Everyone knows we can get the job done. “

The Tigers were built as a collective and were driven by an all-hands-on-deck spirit. Hinch emptied the entire bench by the eighth round.

Casey Mize pitched two innings in relief on Thursday. It was his first-ever relief appearance. He allowed a run, but struck out the last three batters he faced in the sixth over.

Foley, who was sat by Hinch on Wednesday night so that rookie Jackson Jobe could make his debut, pumped gas at 100 km/h at turn nine, saving 27.

Vierling started in left field and then moved to third base and then first base. Wenceel Perez started in right field, moved to left field and finished in right field. Ibanez started in third place and finished in first place. Carpenter and Malloy were on the field after pinch-hitting.

Tigers are truly the sum of their parts.

“Every day I come to the park, I feel new energy because of what’s going on,” Hinch said. “Because of what we think we can achieve. Whether it’s magic, whether it’s panache, whether it’s mojo, whether it’s vibe – it doesn’t matter, we love it and we want more of it.”

[email protected]

@cmccosky