The Tigers enjoyed a fine Tuesday for baseball up against the struggling Rockies. A matchup they must be enjoying with the third Wild Card spot still within (unlikely) reach. The Tigers turned to Keider Montero, while the Rockies called on Bradley Blalock.
The Rockies got things going with a 1-2-3 first. Parker Meadows then wasted no time extending his legend by starting the home half with a home run. Riley Greene followed with a single, then Kerry Carpenter walked, but the Tigers would have to settle for the one run. For now.
In the second, Ryan McMahon started things off with a single, but three outs, including a double play, eliminated the threat. For the home half, Jace Jung started things off with a walk. Jung then advanced to second on what should have been a force out off the bat of Jake Rogers, but a fielding error allowed both runners to stay safely on base. Meadows then walked to load things up. A Riley Greene triple brought the three baserunners home.
Matt Vierling then singled to bring Greene home, and at the end of the inning the Tigers were up 5-0.
The Rockies once again went 1-2-3 at the top of the third. Colt Keith kicked off the home half with a single. Two outs followed, then Trey Sweeney walked. The baserunners would be left stranded, though.
Another three-up, three-down outing for the Rockies in the fourth. The Tigers didn’t have much luck in the home half, though, getting only a walk in Parker Meadows.
The fifth was another 1-2-3 for the Rockies, and heading into the home half, the night was over for Blalock, who was replaced by Anthony Molina. Molina got the Tigers out in order.
If you were betting that the Rockies had another hitless inning in the sixth, you would be correct. The Tigers, meanwhile, didn’t want more of the same. Jung started things off with a walk, then advanced to second on a passed ball. Sweeney singled. Then a Parker Meadows single scored two runs. Greene walked, and Vierling followed up with a single to score Meadows. then a Kerry Carpenter sac fly brought Greene home. Colt Keith doubled, chasing Molina from the game, and as replacement pitcher Justin Lawrence took the mound, Andy Ibanez hit a 2 RBI single.
In the seventh, Ezequiel Tovar singled, but a double play ended the inning. Victor Vodnik was the next Rockies reliever in, and he got the Tigers out in order.
To start the eighth, Aaron Schunk got a leadoff single, but was then eliminated in a double play, and a third out quickly followed. Jaden Hill came in next for relief, and got three outs in order.
Now the big question: would Montero get to complete the ongoing shutout and come in for the ninth? And he did indeed get the nod to come out in the ninth. Montero got three outs in order, completing a nine-inning shutout. And a Maddux at that, completing the game with a final pitch count of 96, and a final line of 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K. Super, super night for Montero and the Tigers alike.
This is just a little taste of how he did it.
Final: Tigers 11, Rockies 0