WASHINGTON — The progress some of the Tigers’ key young players have made at the plate this season is plain to see, particularly over the past few weeks. But in the aggregate, Detroit remains one of the weaker offensive teams in baseball, ranking last in runs scored and 28th in homers entering Friday’s series opener in the nation’s capital.
You wouldn’t have known it.
As if to celebrate their first game in D.C. in seven years, the Tigers broke out offensively, bashing four homers en route to their 8-6 win over the Nationals at Nationals Park. Detroit matched a season high in runs and set a season high in homers in support of Matthew Boyd, and it all proved necessary after Washington staged a comeback against the bullpen in the middle innings.
“Guys scored a lot of runs, played some great defense,” Boyd said. “All in all, it was a great team win.”
The kind with many individuals doing their part, the type becoming more common for these Tigers, who have now won 10 of 15 to surge into sole possession of second place in the wide open American League Central.
“We took advantage of a couple of mistakes that they made,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “But we put pressure on them because we controlled the strike zone and hit a couple balls out of the ballpark.”
Here are some highlights from one of the Tigers’ more complete wins of the season:
Boyd bounces back
Boyd was confident he would rebound from a miserable outing against Seattle, and the veteran lefty lived up to that pledge, breezing through five innings while the Tigers offense piled on. Boyd didn’t allow a hit until Matt Vierling misplayed Keibert Ruiz’s lights-obstructed double in the sixth, which made for a difficult decision for official scorer Mark Jacobson at the time.
“Through six, I was thinking we might throw a no-hitter here,” catcher Eric Haase said. “Things turned in the blink of an eye.”
Jacobson could rest easier after Boyd allowed three runs later in the frame on surefire hits, and Washington added three runs off Mason Englert an inning later to make Boyd’s no-hit bid a distant memory. Still, it was arguably Boyd’s finest outing since rejoining the Tigers on a one-year deal this past winter.
“He’ll be disappointed by the way it ended, because he’s a perfectionist,” Hinch said. “But he gave us a chance to win.”
Said Haase: “That’s the Matt Boyd we’re looking for.”
Hot corner, old friend
The hugs and handshakes were in large supply outside the visitors’ dugout Friday afternoon when over moseyed Jeimer Candelario, who spent much of the last six seasons manning the hot corner for Detroit before latching on with Washington. Candelario was also part of the Nats’ contingent that honored Miguel Cabrera pregame, gifting the likely future Hall of Famer a flag flown at the U.S. Capitol, a signed base and a rocking chair.
“Everybody loves Jeimer,” Hinch said. “So it doesn’t surprise me in the least bit that he found a home and is contributing quite well.”
The Tigers decided to move on from Candelario last fall but haven’t been able to replicate his production at third base, where Nick Maton’s struggles have ceded opportunities for Andy Ibáñez and, on Friday, for Zach McKinstry. So it was notable when McKinstry made the most of it, getting the Tigers on the board immediately with his first career leadoff home run.
“The guys were ready to go,” McKinstry said. “They followed up well, and we hit the ball well all night.”
It’s worth noting also that Maton, who entered play mired in a 3-for-31 slump, enjoyed his best night in some time, reaching base thrice as the designated hitter.
Slump-buster?
Maton might not be the only Tiger to look back on Friday as the day things began to turn. Slumping right fielder Vierling also broke out of a 2-for-31 funk with a two-hit game that included his first homer since May 3, a fifth-inning solo shot. Two innings prior, Akil Baddoo’s three-run homer broke the game open against Nats starter Jake Irvin in the third. It was Baddoo’s first big fly since Sept. 20, 2022.
Riley Greene then added his fourth homer of the year in the sixth for good measure, though he’s surging, not slumping — the 22-year-old is now hitting .382 (29-for-76) over his last 19 games. That’s good news for a Tigers team that continues to make strides.
“We’re getting better in some areas [offensively],” Hinch said. “I do appreciate the adjustments a few of our guys have made.”