Inside the Article:
The Detroit Tigers against their divisional rival Minnesota Twins on Thursday night at Target Field, rallying for an 8-4 victory in the series opener and it was once again thanks to some clutch hitting from Spencer Torkelson.
The Tigers rallied for a big divisional win
Things didn’t exactly start out ideally for the Tigers, who fell behind by three runs in the 2nd inning as the Twins led 4-1.
Javier Baez, who has earned considerable scrutiny for his struggles at the plate this season, singled and later scored in the 4th inning, and then came through again with a two-run triple.
Pitcher Matthew Boyd would make the rally stand up by tossing scoreless 5th and 6th innings.
Spencer Torkelson once again delivered for Detroit
The Tigers would see their lead increase thanks to Torkelson staying red hot, as he would follow hits from Matt Vierling and Jake Rogers by delivering a two-run double to left-center field in the 9th inning, effectively putting the game out of reach.
“That was awesome,” said Torkelson. “Not only did we string some good at-bats together, but Matt Boyd really settled in. He gave up a couple of runs with some two-strike mistakes, but he really bounced back and kept us in the game. We were never out of it.”
In his last seven games, Torkelson is 10-for-28 with four doubles and two home runs.
“He’s got a good fastball and I was looking for something out and over the plate,” Torkelson said of Twins relief pitcher Pablo Lopez. “It just so happened to be the first pitch. But I would’ve waited to the fifth pitch if that’s when it was.”
Manager A.J. Hinch has noticed the confidence that Torkelson has displayed at the plate, saying that it’s never once wavered.
“His confidence has never really wavered,” Hinch said. “I like his readiness to hit in that situation. I think everybody wondered if he was going to get any pitches to hit. Lopez had thrown a ton of sliders and he had sprayed the ball a little bit, so it’s easy to be passive in that situation. But (Torkelson) was very aggressive on a good pitch to hit in a big spot where a couple of RBIs could come through.”
Wrapping It Up: Can the Tigers make it two straight?
Torkelson and the Tigers are right back at it against the Twins, whom they know trail by six games for the division lead, on Friday night.
Twins RHP Joe Ryan will get the start on the mound and will try to make it a perfect 5-0 record against the Tigers in his career. Meanwhile, the Tigers have yet to name a starter for the game, which they plan on designating as a “bullpen” game.
