Tigers offense finally shows up in 9th-inning rally over Angels
· Yahoo Sports
ANAHEIM, CA – The Detroit Tigers were down to their last out against the Los Angeles Angels.
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But Hao-Yu Lee came through in the clutch in the ninth inning, hitting a two-out, two-run double and giving the Tigers a stunning, come-from-behind 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, July 17.
Lee stood on second base, screaming joy, before the Tigers went on to win a game they absolutely needed to, while fighting for their playoff lives.
The Tigers (45-52) only had a chance to win this game because of their pitching. They got a gutsy performance from Troy Melton, who struggled early but settled down, and more brilliance from Keider Montero, who combined to allow just one run off four hits from the Angels (38-60).
It was the first of 13 games in 13 days for the Tigers.
At the plate: Stymied by Reid Detmers
Tigers manager A.J Hinch said he did not feel the need to hold a team meeting after the All-Star break.
He didn’t need to explain the importance of this stretch of games before the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3.
“I talked to them right when we announced the All-Star game,” Hinch said. “I had another conversation with them in the last weekend, that Phillies weekend. But there's not a lot to say to this group. We know exactly what's ahead. We know exactly where we're at, and we feel really good coming out of the break with how we played for the for the last couple of months.”
Yes, the Tigers know their situation. They gotta keep winning to keep this team together.
Which means, they gotta keep scoring.
But the Tigers couldn’t get anything going against Angels starter Reid Detmers.
They had four hits through the first five innings but couldn’t string them together.
It didn't get much better against the Angels' bullpen.
Not until the ninth inning when they faced Kirby Yates, at least. Dillon Dingler was hit by a pitch and he was replaced at first base by James Outman.
It got even more interesting when Outman stole second with Riley Greene at the plate. Greene then walked, bringing up Kerry Carpenter. The Tigers put on a double steal – Outman took off for third, Greene for second. But Carpenter swung and flew out. Luckily for the Tigers, their Tigers scampered back to their original bases.
That brought up Hao-Yu Lee, who launched a shot into the gap to drive in two runs.
On the mound: Welcome home, Troy Melton
Troy Melton, the California kid, got the start in front of a large contingent of friends and family. Melton was born in Newport Beach, grew up in Anaheim and played at San Diego State.
“Nothing really bothers Troy,” Hinch said before the game. “He's a pretty cool customer, so I I anticipate him being perfectly fine with it. I think it makes it more special, but not necessarily harder.”
But nothing was easy for Melton at the started of this game. He looked amped up on adrenaline and struggled with his command.
He came out spraying the ball in the first inning, giving up a hit and walking two straight batters to load the bases with one out. But he limited the damage, holding the Angels to one run.
Still, he put a lot of strain on his arm, throwing 27 pitches, only 15 of them strikes.
It seemed like he was going to have a hard time getting deep into this game, especially after he started the second inning the same way, with another walk.
But then, it was like something flipped; he struck out the next three.
So, after the first two innings, he had a strange line: three walks, three strikeouts.
His pitch count was climbing fast. But he settled down, started to look like himself again and gutted his way through 5⅔ innings, preserving the bullpen. He struck out nine and walked four, allowing just one run.
Melton has now given up one earned run or less in seven of his last nine starts, including his last five.
Then, Hinch turned to Keider Montero, who was incredible. He got into trouble in the ninth inning when the first two batters reached, but he got out of it, aided by a fantastic play at third base by Kevin McGonigle.
Next up: Here comes Skubal Day
The Tigers will meet the Angels in Game 2 of this three-game series when left-hander Tarik Skubal (5-5, 3.09 ERA) pitches against RHP Grayson Rodriguez (3-2, 7.55) on Saturday (10:07 p.m., Detroit SportsNet).
The series finale Sunday (4:07 p.m., DSN) will feature Tigers right-hander Casey Mize (4-6, 2.79) against Angels righty Ryan Johnson (1-4, 6.75), before the Tigers head back to the Midwest for three games against the Chicago Cubs..
Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers offense finally shows up in 9th-inning rally over Angels