The Detroit Tigers didn’t get a hit until two outs in the fifth inning.
Then everything changed.
The Tigers overcame a slow start with one run in the fifth and two runs in the sixth en route to a 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, June 20, in the second of three games in the series at Comerica Park.
Dillon Dingler – a catcher serving as the designated hitter – drove in two runs with a single and a solo home run, right-hander Troy Melton allowed one run (on one hit) across six innings, and two relievers slammed the door over the final three innings.
Just like that, the Tigers won back-to-back games for the first time since June 7-9.
They have a 32-44 record.
On the mound
The White Sox did their only damage in the first inning.
It came on a second-pitch fastball from Melton to Sam Antonacci, who launched a leadoff home run for a 1-0 White Sox lead.
After that, Melton didn’t surrender another hit.
The 25-year-old allowed one run on one hit and three walks with five strikeouts across six innings, throwing 84 pitches. He missed more bats than usual with all of his pitches, most notably when his fastball generated an important swinging strikeout to strand two runners in the fifth inning.
In that scenario, Melton reached back for 98 mph with his fastball.
Miguel Vargas couldn’t touch it.
After Melton, the Tigers turned to left-handed reliever Tyler Holton for scoreless seventh and eighth innings, followed by right-handed reliever Kenley Jansen for a scoreless ninth inning.
Melton has a 2.56 ERA in five starts.
At the plate
The Tigers didn’t collect their first hit until Kevin McGonigle provided a single with two strikes and two outs in the fifth inning, but there were scoring opportunities before then.
The biggest chance came in the fourth inning.
That’s when McGonigle, Matt Vierling and Spencer Torkelson walked, all against right-handed reliever Tyler Davis – forcing the White Sox to call on left-handed reliever Joe Rock for a matchup with Kerry Carpenter.
The Tigers countered by pinch-hitting Jahmai Jones to get the matchup advantage.
Jones struck out swinging to strand the bases loaded, fetching an abundance of boos from the fans. His role is to be a right-handed hitter who crushes left-handed pitching, but he is hitting just .169 in 80 plate appearances against lefties.
He snapped an 0-for-21 skid with a single in Friday’s game.
But Jones failed in Saturday’s big moment.
The Tigers picked up the slack with four runs across the final five innings, thanks to Dingler’s RBI single in the fifth, James Outman’s RBI single in the sixth, Jake Rogers’ RBI single in the sixth and Dingler’s solo home run in the seventh.
The first three runs were charged to Rock.
In the seventh, Dingler destroyed a middle-in fastball from right-handed reliever Trevor Richards – sending the ball 430 feet to center field with a 105.8 mph exit velocity.
It marked his 17th homer in 69 games.
The 27-year-old finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs as the lone Tigers hitter with multiple hits in Saturday’s game. He is hitting .267 with an .874 OPS, along with providing elite defense.
Next up
The Tigers and White Sox meet again Sunday (1:40 p.m., Detroit SportsNet) for the final time in the three-game series – a Father’s Day showdown.
It was supposed to be right-hander Justin Verlander.
But the Tigers scratched Verlander from his return with a left hamstring strain (after he had spent more than two months sidelined with left hip inflammation). Replacing him, right-hander Keider Montero is scheduled to start for the Tigers.
Right-hander Davis Martin is starting for the White Sox.
Martin owns a 3.31 ERA in 14 starts, ranking 17th among 46 starters with at least 80 innings. The highest-ranked Tigers starter on that leaderboard? It’s left-hander Framber Valdez, ranking 35th with a 4.09 ERA.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers overcome slow start in another win vs Chicago White Sox
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
