The Detroit Tigers make another recovery and defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 4:3

The Detroit Tigers couldn't get anything going against Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Tyler Alexander.

Alexander, a skilled southpaw who played for the Tigers from 2019 to 2023, pitched five scoreless innings with six strikeouts and limited the Tigers to just four hits.

“We didn’t find anything at the start,” said manager AJ Hinch.

After waiting out Alexander, the Tigers staged a comeback in the later innings with a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the finale of a three-game series Thursday at Comerica Park, extending their winning streak to five games. The Tigers' magic number to secure a playoff spot is 2 (Tigers wins combined with Minnesota Twins losses).

Colt Keith finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

“We love to grind the whole game,” Keith said. “Make your attacks and go to the end and take the lead. We've done that so many times this year. I love that about us. We never give up.”

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The Tigers (85-74) have a record of 30-11 in their last 41 games.

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

Jason Foley's strikeout of Jose Siri completed the victory and moved the Tigers 2½ games ahead of the Twins in the American League wild-card race, with the Twins (who are in the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tigers) facing the Miami Marlins Thursday night. The Tigers also stayed tied with the Kansas City Royals, who beat the Washington Nationals on Thursday, securing the second AL wild-card spot, but the Royals are ahead of the Tigers in the tiebreaker. The Tigers and Royals' victories eliminated the Seattle Mariners from the playoffs.

On Friday, the Tigers begin a three-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox, who come to town tied for the MLB record of 120 losses but have a three-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Twins host the wild-card-leading Baltimore Orioles.

“I know what it feels like to achieve something,” Hinch said, “and I want so much for these guys to enjoy it, and we’re getting closer every day.”

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On Thursday, the Tigers put the finishing touches to their comeback in the eighth inning, scoring two runs off left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger to take a 4-3 lead.

Keith tied the game at 3-3 with an RBI single.

“I knew he was going to try to throw in a sinker to get me to rush into the double play,” Keith said. “I just wanted to stay in it. That was my plan. He threw those sinkers in, and I checked the swing on one, and then the next one was right there on the inside half, and I was able to make it stay in for a base hit.

At this point there were runners on the corners, with one out to Justyn-Henry Malloy, who pinch-hit to Kerry Carpenter. The Tigers wanted Malloy – instead of Carpenter – at left back.

Carpenter understood.

“That always goes through my mind,” said Carpenter, who hit .107 in 32 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, “and I know I would have had a really good chance to get through there, too. But I have a lot of confidence in J-Hen.”

The pinch-hit decision worked perfectly as Malloy hit a sixth pitch slider to center field. The ball went low enough for Matt Vierling to hit a head-to-head slide from third base to make the final score 4-3.

Vierling clenched his fist and shouted in celebration.

“I knew I had enough,” Malloy said. “I know Siri has a good arm (in center field), but we have (third base coach) Joey Cora, so he sends V, and V has good speed. … He was safe and it was like a party in the dugout.”

The comeback began in the sixth inning against right-hander Hunter Bigge. Three consecutive Tigers reached the game safely, all with two outs: Vierling drew a seven-pitch walk, Keith ripped a triple and Carpenter hit a single.

Keith's triple and Carpenter's single each scored a run and cut the Tigers' deficit to 3-2. Carpenter came off the bench as a pinch hitter, replacing Spencer Torkelson.

“I think everyone knows we can get the job done,” Carpenter said, “whether it's the hardest right-handed hitter against Tork or the hardest left-handed hitter against me. There's nobody in there that isn't confident just because we get a pinch hit. It's just like that, “Pass the baton.” “

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Reese Olson begins

Right-hander Reese Olson made his third start since returning from the injured list and increased his pitch count to 72 pitches. He threw 50 pitches in his first start and 58 pitches in his second start.

“It’s a lot of fun coming to the park every day,” Olson said.

In his third start, Olson allowed two runs on four hits and zero walks with three strikeouts over four innings. The Rays tagged him for two runs on three singles in the third inning.

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All three singles were hit past Keith at second base, including Brandon Lowe's two-run single with two outs. The other two hits came from Ben Rortveldt and Taylor Walls.

Olson rebounded by avoiding damage with a one-out single in the fourth inning. The 25-year-old has a 6.75 ERA over 9⅓ innings in three starts since returning from a right shoulder strain that sidelined him nearly two months.

“I didn’t feel very sharp about orders and things,” Olson said. “But I was able to keep us in the game enough for the bullpen to pick me up, and then the guys scored late. I'm glad I did a good job of keeping us in the game when I wasn't necessarily feeling too sharp.

Casey Mize's new role

It was strange to see.

Right-hander Casey Mize worked as a reliever for the first time in his professional career after making 31 starts in the minor leagues and 59 starts in the major leagues. He hadn't played a backup role since his freshman season at Auburn in 2016.

“First time in a long time,” Mize said.

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In fact, Mize jogged out of the bullpen for the fifth inning of Thursday's game against the Rays. The 27-year-old gave up one run on three hits and zero walks with four strikeouts in two innings while throwing 39 pitches.

A triple and a wild pitch in the fifth gave the Rays a 3-0 lead.

The Detroit Tigers make another recovery and defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 4:3

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