Andrew Graham gives his quick takes on the Tigers’ 8-0 victory over the Astros on Friday:
One thing I loved
That early power surge to put eight runs across in the third and fourth innings is easy to love, as another positive sign for Colt Keith and a perk-up power for James Outman.
Keith had the funniest moment of the night with the home runs, as his solo shot in the fourth inning clanged off the foul pole in right, and he kept running hard after seeing it land back in the outfield. He finally slowed down when rounding third when Joey Cora got in his line of sight.
Outman detonated on a fastball a few batters later, taking the pitch down and in and sending it 407 feet to right field.
And the most majestic of the trio was easily Kerry Carpenter’s two-run blast in the third inning, as he punished a four seamer that got left out and over the plate at the top of the zone, sending it 412 feet into the right field stands for his 11th home run of the season.
All told, those homers accounted for five of the eight runs that Detroit plated in those innings, and the heart of an offensive explosion that put the Tigers in the driver’s seat for a much-needed win on Friday evening.
Let’s watch ‘em all, and enjoy Jason Benetti’s call on the shot from Carpenter, especially.
One thing I didn’t
A tough June continues for Spencer Torkelson, who went hitless for the second straight game to start this series and the third time in four games.
He did have a nice pocket of games at the end of the most recent Chicago series and into the series against New York, stringing together five hits in three games, with a pair of two-hit games.
But in June, he’s now had three two hit games to 11 hitless ones. A decent bit of power is obviously in his game, as 10 of his 19 hits in June have been for extra bases (seven doubles, three home runs) but the overall production has been very, very sparse. He’s also striking out a lot in June.
And that’s just tough. Tough for Torkelson to navigate, tough for AJ Hinch in assembling lineups, tough for a lineup that could surely use consistent power in the heart of the order, and tough for fans in the stands.
And to boot, Torkelson had an 0-fer on Friday against a pitcher in Spencer Arrighetti who has also struggled in June.
Three stars
(Season total in parentheses)
Kevin McGonigle (22)
Kerry Carpenter (8)
Keider Montero (3)
Player of the game
(Season total in parentheses)
James Outman (2) — three RBI night!
Tigers’ uniform tracker
Traditional home whites: 17-16
Alternate home oranges: 5-1
Motor City Connect home blues: 1-2
Traditional road grays: 9-20
Alternate road blues: 3-8
Next Tigers game
Game 83: Astros at Tigers, 1:10 Saturday, Detroit SportsNet, 97.1
ICYMI: Yesterday’s Tigers recap
Andrew Graham is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers, Game 82: One thing I loved, one thing I didn’t
Reporting by Andrew Graham, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Andrew Graham, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
