Detroit News

It’s way, way too early for statistical trends to mean much in 2021, but with the return of minor-league baseball, we have something we never had in 2020: games, and actual performance numbers A look at who had good and bad starts in the first handful of minor-league games since 2019: Triple-A Toledo Who’s hot

Detroit — The Tigers’ suddenly resurgent offense has averaged 7 runs, 10.8 hits and 4.8 walks over the last five games. Not too shabby for a team that was hitting under .200 collectively and producing fewer runs than any team in baseball up to that point. What happened? Was it just the law of averages, a

Detroit — The rains weren’t going to relent in time to get in the rubber match Sunday between the Tigers and Twins. It was postponed and will be made up as part of a split, seven-inning doubleheader on Friday, July 16. “We want to give it a chance and see if it breaks up and there’s

Detroit — AJ Hinch has been searching and searching, trying to find some kind of spark for the Tigers offense. For one game at least, he found it. Robbie Grossman and Harold Castro, hitting 1-2 in the batting order, combined to get on base eight times Saturday and they kick-started a five-run rally in the

Detroit – Everybody’s passion burns differently. For some, it’s like dry tinder and even the tiniest spark can start a fire. For others, it takes a lot of heat to ignite. Tigers catcher Jake Rogers is in the latter category. He’s getting a second chance to stick at the big-league level, a full year after

Detroit — AJ Hinch has been searching and searching, trying to find some kind of spark for the Tigers offense. For one game at least, he found it. Robbie Grossman and Harold Castro, hitting 1-2 in Hinch’s batting order, combined to get on base eight times Saturday and kick-started a five-run rally in the bottom

Detroit — The Tigers made another batch of roster moves Saturday, one involving the outfield and the other the bullpen. Nomar Mazara, out since April 15 with a left abdominal strain, was activated off the injured list after three rehab starts at Triple-A Toledo. To make room, outfielder Victor Reyes was optioned back to Toledo. “That

Detroit — Matt Shoemaker doused any fire that might have existed in the Tigers’ bats for five innings on Friday night, before Mother Nature took care of the rest. The Twins starter — a Trenton native and former Eastern Michigan standout — continued his domination of his hometown team, giving up four hits over five innings while

Detroit — The Tigers were back at Comerica Park on Friday, set to begin a three-game series with the Twins. But before a pitch was thrown, the team was busy making roster moves. Catcher Wilson Ramos was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lumbar spine strain while veteran reliever Buck Farmer was designated for

Kristie Rieken |  Associated Press Houston — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander is doing well in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and says he still has unbridled passion for the game at 38. However, the two-time Cy Young Award winner and former Tiger can’t deny that he’s loved the extra time at home with his supermodel wife

Gainesville, Fla. — Two celebrity college pitchers showcased their skills last weekend during a pair of evening baseball games. The setting, pastoral and even radiant, might have been more impressive than those men on the mound. Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, each wearing Vanderbilt garb, appeared Friday and Saturday nights at a new, $65 million beige-and-brick

Boston — Well, on the plus side for the Tigers, the offense awakened in Boston. They scored 22 runs in the three games at Fenway, that after scoring 10 in the first six games on this trip, through Chicago and New York. The downside, though, is the pitching and defense faltered, and after losing the finale to

Boston — So much happened Wednesday night in the Tigers’ 6-5, 10-inning win over the Red Sox, we need to look back at it one more time before moving forward. Hinch did what? The last time manager AJ Hinch issued an intentional pass was late in the 2019 playoffs when he waved red-hot Nationals slugger Juan Soto on

Boston — Rain was pouring down and the tarp was on the field Wednesday, but out of the Tigers dugout trudged lefty Derek Holland, bullpen catcher Jeremy Carroll and head athletic trainer Doug Teter. Holland threw a handful of pitches off flat ground, conversed with Teter and walked back in. Now we know what that was

Boston — Figures it would take a historical performance, and maybe a couple of bottles of Maalox, for the Tigers to finally snap their six-game losing streak. “I’ve managed a lot of games in this ballpark and it never feels like it’s over,” manager AJ Hinch said. “It never feels like you have enough to

Boston — For a minute there, it felt like a 2013, Big Papi flashback. The Tigers were up 3-1 with two outs in the seventh inning. Right-hander Bryan Garcia was summoned from the bullpen to face former Tiger J.D. Martinez with a man on. Martinez got a 94-mph elevated sinker on a 2-2 pitch that

Boston — Changes are coming. Again. Outfielder Nomar Mazara, who homered in his first rehab at-bat in Toledo Tuesday, could be back off the injured list this weekend. That means somebody, maybe one of the outfielders, maybe a pitcher, will be either sent down or out of the organization. JaCoby Jones and Victor Reyes, both off

Boston — It was just eight days ago. In Chicago. First inning. The big right-handed hitter turned on a 95-mph heater from Lucas Giolito, middle-in. The ball left his bat with an exit velocity of 110 mph and traveled 445 feet soaring into the left-field seats at Guaranteed Rate Field. It looked like a swing from

Boston – Wouldn’t it figure. On the night the Tigers’ offense finally breaks out of a 18-game funk, the pitching staff allows double-digit runs. The Tigers, shutout in two of the three games in New York over the weekend, produced more runs than they had in a game since April 13, but it was still

Mark Didtler |  Associated Press Tampa, Fla. — It took just four batters at George Steinbrenner Field before a fan yelled “C’mon, blue!” toward home plate umpire Kaleb Devier after two consecutive close pitches were called balls. Never mind that a computer was making the calls. Didn’t matter on Tuesday night as the Tampa Tarpons took on the