Detroit — This is what it’s supposed to look like for the Tigers.
Nothing overly spectacular, just taking care of business, doing all the little things, all the winning things and securing a 6-2 victory against the Athletics Tuesday in the first of three games at Comerica Park.
“We knew this whole season, this is the team we have,” said Tarik Skubal, who struck out nine in five, labor-intensive innings. “We’re a very good baseball team. We do all the little things right. We prepare really well. We got some bad luck and beat ourselves early in the season and it doesn’t seem like we’re doing that anymore.
“We need to continue to build on this momentum and finish strong to the break.”
The Tigers (41-50) have won six of seven.
“We’re playing really good baseball right now,” said rookie and newly-minted All-Star Kevin McGonigle, who just happened to set a Major League record in this one. “We still have a lot of work to do and we all know that. Just keep doing what we’re doing every day and stay as consistent as we can.”
It doesn’t have to be a big swing that changes a game. The Tigers, when they are playing at their best, prove this time after time.
Sometimes, like it Tuesday, a simple walk can turn the tide.
It was a tight, 2-1 game when lefty-swinging Zach McKinstry stepped in with two outs and nobody on against lefty reliever Jacob Lopez in the sixth inning.
McKinstry battled his way to a walk, which set up a run of three straight right-handed hitters who broke the game open.
“Huge,” McGonigle said. “All game I felt like we had a really good approach and really good at-bats.”
BOX SCORE: Tigers 6, Athletics 2
Spencer Torkelson singled. Rookie Ben Malgeri, pinch-hitting for James Outman, dropped a run-scoring double into shallow right field. Athletics’ second baseman Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and right fielder Lawrence Butler both converged on the ball and both backed off at the last minute.
Matt Vierling followed with a two-run double and lefty-swinging McGonigle capped the four-run outburst with an RBI single.
“There was a lot in that inning,” manager AJ Hinch said. “Just being able to capitalize on contact. We were fortunate to squeeze a few in there, but we did it by staying in the at-bats…As soon as that inning was extended, it was a feeling like, you’ve got to take advantage of it. And we did.”
McGonigle, as usual, was a catalyst at the top of the lineup. He led off with an eight-pitch walk against Athletics’ starter J.T. Ginn and Colt Keith hit the next pitch, a cutter, 427 feet into the right-center stands. His seventh homer.
McGonigle was also safe on an error and singled twice.
And he made history in the process. He’s reached base safely two or more times in 53 games, which sets an MLB record for most times doing that by a rookie before the All-Star break.
The announcement was made and presented on the big board as McGonigle was on the field before the sixth inning.
“I had a good time looking at Kevin,” Hinch said with a smile. “He’s so uncomfortable on the field as they were talking about him. He wants to look at the scoreboard. He wasn’t sure if he’s supposed to tip his cap. I love when Kevin gets uncomfortable, because he’s never uncomfortable in the box.
“I don’t know what the ‘it’ factor is, but he has it.”
What got McGonigle a little shaky out there was the news that he’d topped the record set by Aaron Judge in 2017.
“It was just more of a surprise,” he said. “Because I had no idea. I heard it and it’s a pretty cool thing with my name being out there with Aaron Judge. That’s really special.”
Skubal packed a lot into his five innings.
He started the outing by striking out the side in the first inning. He ended it by throwing 98- and 99-mph heaters past Athletics’ hitters.
But in between, he grinded.
He finished with the nine strikeouts, getting 22 misses on 52 swings. But it also took him 96 pitches to get through five innings.
“Part of that is, I counted 20 non-competitive pitches,” Skubal said. “That’s a high percentage of my outing. The other part is, that’s a good lineup over there. I sprayed the ball a little, especially my fastball. And some changueps, too. Not my best showing by any means.”
His fastball velocity ebbed and flowed as he tried to lock in his command. It was down to 94-95 mph in the second and third innings.
“When I’m commanding the baseball, there’s not a ton of thought,” he said. “Just get the ball and throw. Tonight it didn’t feel like I was commanding the ball the way I know I am capable of and that’s probably why you let off the throttle a little bit. It’s almost the opposite adjustment. The adjustment needed to be move faster and think less.
“I probably thought a little more tonight than I needed to.”
He was still able to reach back and get 97 mph to strike out Shea Langeliers with a runner at second in the third inning. And he was back to pumping 98 and 99 as his pitch count climbed toward and beyond 90.
“He’s always the hardest critic on himself,” Hinch said. “He beats himself up quite a bit. But give him some grace. He goes out and one run is deemed an OK start. Think about that standard every time you take the mound no matter what you do. The bar is really high and he can handle it.
“He’s going to be proud of his teammates tonight and he’s going to enjoy the fruits of his labor.”
Through it all, there was only one run on his ledger — a solo homer by No. 9 hitter Henry Bolte leading off the third — and he left the game with his teammates ahead.
“You can beat yourself up; I’m pretty good at that,” Skubal said. “But sometimes you’ve got to look at it optimistically. Even when I’m spraying it, it’s still tough to score. I did my part to put our team in position to win.”
And the Tigers’ long, slow but steady climb back into playoff contention continues.
“We have to continue to chip away to get back into this thing,” Hinch said. “But I feel optimistic because our team is starting to do the things that we expected to do.”
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: McKinstry’s ‘huge’ walk turns the tide in Tigers’ triumph over Athletics
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Chris McCosky, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
