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Tigers erase 3-0 deficit, beat Twins in opener in 11 innings

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on

Published in Baseball

MINNEAPOLIS — It all got sorted out in the end.

Riley Greene hit his 28th homer, a two-run shot in the fourth inning, and Colt Keith, on his 24th birthday, rapped an RBI single to score Javier Baez (double) in the sixth to erase a 3-0 deficit and put the Detroit Tigers in position to win the first game of a four-game series at Target Field Thursday.

And, after dodging a bullet in the bottom of the 10th, Gleyber Torres' sacrifice fly in the top of 11th inning, gave the Tigers a gritty 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins missed a chance to win it in the bottom of the 10th. Pinch-hitter Mickey Gasper bunted the free runner to third base and with one out, lefty Tyler Holton induced a checked-swing grounder to first baseman Spencer Torkelson who threw out the runner, Alan Roden, at the plate.

With two outs and right-handed hitting Byron Buxton up, manager AJ Hinch, having already used Kyle Finnegan and with right-hander Will Vest unavailable, went to right-hander Rafael Montero.

Montero won the battle, getting Buxton to line softly to shortstop.

Montero was tasked with the bottom of the 11th, as well. With Buxton the free runner at second, he struck out Ryan Jeffers on a foul tip that catcher Dillon Dingler caught. The Twins felt the ball hit the dirt.

Manager Rocco Baldelli argued with home plate umpire John Bacon to the point where he was ejected. He threw his hat toward the field on his way out.

Montero finished the job by striking out Royce Lewis.

For the first half of the game, though, things seemed upside down.

Back on June 29, Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal struck out 13 Twins’ hitters over seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.

On Thursday, the Twins put up three runs and worked 29 pitches in the third inning, one of the more aggravating innings Skubal has had to deal with this season.

 

On the other side, there was Twins’ starter Bailey Ober. Last time the Tigers saw him, on June 28, they hit four homers off him and scored seven runs.

On Thursday, he breezed through the first 14 hitters, before Kerry Carpenter doubled ahead of Greene’s moonshot to right field.

Normalcy, at least something closer to it, prevailed, though. Skubal grinded but he grinded effectively, allowing only one hit after the third inning.

But that third inning was a mess.

With one out, Skubal fell behind No. 9 hitter Edouard Julien, 2-0. Julien, a lefty hitter, was hitting .186 and Skubal hadn’t allowed a home run to a lefty all season.

Until right then. Julien shellacked a 95-mph sinker, sending it 410 feet onto the pavilion in right field.

Austin Martin followed with a two-strike double. With two outs, Byron Buxton softly singled to center, moving Martin to third. He scored on a groundout and then Luke Keaschall singled Buxton home.

Skubal escaped further damage, though Keaschall stole second base and he walked Royce Lewis before getting the third out.

For the first five innings, the velocity on Skubal’s four-seam fastball and sinker was down, 95-96 mph. But something clicked back into gear in the sixth and he started ringing heaters at 98, 99 and 100 mph again.

He finished his outing, another quality start, retiring 10 straight and leaving the game tied after seven innings.

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