Four pitchers combine to stifle Marlins as Tigers salvage finale

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on Sep 14, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

MIAMI — Talk about stepping up.

The Detroit Tigers’ bullpen was paper thin, having covered 11 innings the two previous nights. And Sunday was a scheduled bullpen game.

“We’ll be fine,” manager AJ Hinch said Saturday night.

His crystal ball must have reflected a clutch five-inning performance by Keider Montero.

The Tigers right-hander hadn’t thrown more than 79 pitches in a game since Aug. 23 and hadn’t thrown that many in the big leagues since July 25.

But a clean, five-pitch first inning set the tone for what was an impressive and important effort by Montero. He threw five shutout innings and helped the Tigers salvage the finale against the Miami Marlins Sunday, 2-0, at loanDepot Park.

Spinning both his slider (up to 2,800 rpm) and knuckle-curve (up to 3,000-rpm) effectively off a 95 mph four-seam fastball, he scattered three singles and struck out five without issuing a walk.

If he was fatigued toward the end of his outing, he threw 76 pitches, he didn’t show it. Especially in the fourth inning. He gave up a two-out single and then went toe-to-toe with Troy Johnston, whose walk-off homer beat the Tigers Saturday night.

The at-bat went eight pitches with Montero finally punching him out with a 94-mph heater.

He got a well-earned hug from Hinch after he finished a clean fifth inning, preserving a two-run lead.

Veteran right-hander Jose Urquidy, back on a big-league mound for the first time since 2023, got four outs in his Tigers’ debut.

He left with two on and one out in the seventh, but Tommy Kahnle had his back, getting the final two outs.

Kahnle pitched a scoreless eighth, dispatching the top of the Marlins lineup, and turned it over to Will Vest. Vest, who pitched two scoreless high-leverage innings Saturday, throwing 22 pitches, earned his 21st save.

He had to dig deep, retiring pinch-hitter Joey Wiemer and Javier Sanoja with two runners on.

The Tigers entered the day with a 6.5-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the Central Division. The Tigers will open a three-game series against the Guardians at Comerica Park Tuesday.

“It’s a win total exercise toward the end of the year,” Hinch said before the game. “It’s about winning series and it’s playing our entire schedule. What an opportunity we have to enter the final 13 games of the year with a lead. And we get to play our rival when we get home.”

It wasn’t a banner day for the Tigers’ offense.

The Tigers were gifted a pair of runs in the second inning when the Marlins committed three errors on one play.

True story.

With Spencer Torkelson on first and two outs, Colt Keith ripped a ball that caromed off first baseman Eric Wagaman. He inadvertently kicked the ball into foul territory.

Wagaman tried to throw out Torkelson at third base but his throw was wild. Torkelson scored and then, after left fielder Troy Johnston misplayed the errant throw, Keith scampered all the way to third.

Dillon Dingler singled him home.

And that was the only hit the Tigers mustered in six innings against Marlins starter Adam Mazur.

Aside from a 400-foot flyout by Torkelson, it was mostly strikeouts (four) and soft-contact outs.

____