The News’ Tony Paul gives his quick takes on the Tigers’ 7-2 victory over the Rays on Wednesday:
One thing I loved
Maybe Dillon Dingler just needed a day off.
Dingler started 24 consecutive games (most at catcher, a handful at DH) from May 4-30, and while his defense never slumps, he did hit .191 during that stretch. Tigers manager AJ Hinch gave him the day off in Chicago on Sunday, and Dingler apparently came out for the series in St. Petersburg itching to do some damage.
Dingler had a four-hit, four-RBI game in the series opener Monday, with two home runs. And he had another four-RBI game Wednesday, with another home run. The two-homer game was the first of his career. The four-RBI games were the second and third of his career.
There’s also this little historical nugget from Jerry Mackinem of Tigers Minor League Report: Dingler is one of two Tigers catchers ever with six or more hits, four or more extra-base hits, nine or more RBIs and three or more homers over a three-game span. The other was Rudy York, who did it in 1937.
Dingler now has 14 homers and 43 RBIs for the season, as he looks poised to make his first All-Star team. His latest offensive explosion just so happened to come on the same day that the AL All-Star ballot was released.
One thing I didn’t
The Tigers won’t get play anymore games at Tropicana Field in 2026. They apparently really, really, really missed the Trop, which reopened this year after being closed in 2025 after sustaining hurricane damage.
The Tigers scored 25 runs in the three-game series, after scoring 40 runs in their previous 15 games. The Tigers had double-digit hits in all three games in St. Petersburg, after recording double-digits hits three times in May.
The Tigers came into this series 8-24 on the road and proceeded to take all three games from the team that had the best record in the American League. It was the Tigers’ third sweep of the season, and first on the road.
Three stars
(Season total in parentheses)
Dillon Dingler (17)
Gleyber Torres (8)
Jake Rogers (3) — He’s off the homer schneid in 2026. Your move, Colt Keith.
Player of the game
(Season total in parentheses)
Troy Melton (2) — After a turbulent start, he got decidedly nasty and dominated for the last six innings, retiring the last 17 batters he faced. He went eight innings, and is 3-for-3 in impressive starts since returning from injury.
Tigers’ uniform tracker
Next Tigers game
Game 64: Mariners at Tigers, 6:40 Friday, Detroit SportsNet, 97.1
ICYMI: Yesterday’s Tigers recap
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers, Game 63: One thing I loved, one thing I didn’t
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
