The News’ Tony Paul gives his quick takes on the Tigers’ 5-1 victory over the Rangers on Saturday:
One thing I loved
The Tigers certainly did their homework in preparation for Rangers starter Kumar Rocker, and it wasn’t just about studying his pitches and pitch tendencies. They also knew all about his big woes holding baserunners, and the Tigers wasted no time in taking full advantage.
In the second inning, Wenceel Perez and Kevin McGonigle got massive jumps and stole second base easily, both running on the first pitch. They then each scored on two-out hits, Perez on McGonigle’s single (swinging 3-0 again), and McGonigle on Gleyber Torres’ single, boosting Detroit’s lead to 5-0.
The Tigers are last in the American League in stolen bases (13), and second-to-last in the majors. But they knew Rocker has never held a runner in his major-league career.
Baserunners, unbelievably, are now 17-for-17 against Rocker, a 100% success rate on stolen bases:
On Derby Day, Colt Keith later stole a base and Perez stole another, giving the Tigers four steals — their most in a game this season — as they clawed back to .500 (17-17). They last stole three bases in a game in May 2023.
One thing I didn’t
The injuries really are starting to pile up for the Tigers, who already had lost five players to the IL this season entering Saturday (Javier Báez, Parker Meadows, Zach McKinstry, Casey Mize and Justin Verlander), then put reliever Will Vest on the IL before Saturday’s game. Then, Gleyber Torres left Saturday’s game in the fourth inning.
And manager AJ Hinch also is keeping a very close eye on veteran closer Kenley Jansen, who is officially “day-to-day” with a groin injury. Jansen has blown his last two save chances, both on ninth-inning walk-off home runs. If it seems familiar for Tigers fans, that’s understandable. Here’s a look three veteran closers who signed free-agent contracts with Detroit late in their careers, and how each fared in his first month in a Tigers uniform:
Jansen (482), Rodriguez (437) and Nathan (377) are Nos. 3, 6 and 10, respectively, all-time in saves. Rodriguez and Nathan had forgettable Tigers tenures. The verdict still is out on Jansen, who, worth noting, scuffled early in 2025, too, before rebounding nicely and signing a one-year, $11-million contract with the Tigers over the winter.
Three stars
(Season total in parentheses)
Dillon Dingler (7)
Riley Greene (8)
Drew Anderson
Player of the game
(Season total in parentheses)
Keider Montero (2)
Tigers on national TV
The Tigers are 1-3 on national TV:
One more thing
Saturday marked the third time the Jung brothers — the Tigers’ Jace and the Rangers’ Josh — have played in the same major-league game, and the first time they’ve both had a hit in the same game. Josh (first-round draft pick in 2019) singled and doubled, and Jace (first-round draft pick in 2022) singled and had a 12-pitch walk.
Next Tigers game
Game 35: Rangers at Tigers, 7:20 Sunday, NBCSN, Peacock/97.1
ICYMI: Yesterday’s Tigers recap
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers, Game 34: 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
