Detroit Tigers first baseman Jeimer Candelario has been on a tear since the beginning of August. On Tuesday, his bat helped clinch a game with heavy postseason implications.
He got a change-up in the seventh inning and pulled it 410 feet to right field — a two-run blast (his fifth of the year) to pad the lead. And in the fifth, he knocked a two-RBI single to give right-hander Spencer Turnbull protection.
Candelario played a key role in a five-run fifth inning to help the Tigers (19-21) secure a 8-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, shaking off their series in Minnesota where they lost four of five.
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Because the New York Yankees lost, 2-1, to the Blue Jays, the Tigers are now one game back of the AL’s eighth and final spot in the expanded 16-team postseason with 20 games to play. Trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014, the Tigers currently have the Mariners and Orioles near them in the hunt.
Candelario is 43-for-118 (.364) with five homers and 23 RBIs since the beginning of August; he started the season 0-for-17. In his last 13 games, he has a .422 batting average.
The Tigers cap off the two-game homestand at 1:10 p.m. Wednesday with left-hander Matthew Boyd on the mound. The game will only be available to watch on YouTube.
[ Jonathan Schoop leaves Tuesday’s game with right wrist contusion ]
Turnbull’s night
With each inning, Turnbull made strides.
He worked himself into jams in the first and third innings but wiggled out of them unscathed. Once the fourth inning came around, he settled down, executed his pitches and worked quick thanks to three double plays. He also got help on a throw in the first from catcher Austin Romine to catch Christian Yelich stealing second base.
Turnbull finished with six scoreless innings, only allowing three hits and three walks. In his last outing, in Milwaukee, the 27-year-old allowed five runs and couldn’t get past the fifth inning.
This time, he improved.
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He commanded his 88 pitches (53 strikes) well Tuesday, using 57% four-steam fastballs, 23% sliders, 10% change-ups and 10% sinkers. He got 10 strikes swinging, including four each with his fastball and slider. His sinker maxed out at 95.9 mph.
Turnbull now has a 3.32 ERA through eight starts.
Alcantara’s pop
Rookie infielder Sergio Alcantara started at third base and, yet again, showed the pop in his bat. He surprisingly put a 388-foot charge into a fastball from Twins starter Rich Hill on Sunday in the first at-bat of his MLB debut.
Alcantara’s first at-bat against Brewers starter Adrian Houser went 372 feet to the gap in right-center field for a triple. His teammates, once again surprised at his power, stood up to cheer in the dugout. But he was stranded at third to end the third inning.
The Tigers got on the board in the fourth inning on Castro’s RBI single to right field. Alcantara finished 1-for-4 (with three flyouts) and didn’t make a mistake splitting time between third base and second base.
Schoop OK
A 91.8 mph sinker from Houser hit second baseman Jonathan Schoop’s right wrist, and he was forced to leave the game in the fourth inning. The Tigers announced his injury as a right wrist contusion.
After the game, manager Ron Gardenhire said Schoop is healthy and will not need a break or stint on the injured list. He asked to play Wednesday’s game.
“He’ll be playing tomorrow,” Gardenhire said Tuesday. “He wants to play. He’s fine.”
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Schoop, an eight-year veteran, is hitting .295 with eight homers and 22 RBIs in 39 games this season.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Detroit Tigers content.