PHOENIX — Detroit Tigers rookie Colt Keith scored from second base on Javier Báez’s single to snap the 20-inning scoreless streak in Friday’s 13-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, but to do that, he first had to get on base in the second inning.

Keith smacked a two-strike changeup from right-hander Ryne Nelson into center field for a single.

It was his first of four hits.

“I felt like I finally loosened up,” said Keith, who hadn’t produced more than two hits in a single MLB game before his first four-hit game, in his 37th big-league game. “I let my muscles, my swing, my work just take over. I feel like I’ve been tense the whole season, and today was a big step in the right direction. I’m loosening up and getting my timing, and I feel like I had really good bat control. It was a really good day.”

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Keith finished 4-for-5 with four singles, playing a key role in Friday’s pummeling of the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. He drove in two runs, but he also led the Tigers by scoring three times.

His batting average in 2024 jumped from .171 to .197.

“These guys are putting in a lot of work,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “and they’re taking a lot of questions about their offense, about our offense. Guys want to see results, too. They will trust that the process is right, and they’re doing the work and their routines, and all the things are going to lead to better times, and then they want to see it in the game.

“Especially for Colt. These are all new. He’s never been at this ballpark. He’s never played at this level. He’s arguably never struggled. I think him seeing some hits fall should do a lot for his confidence going into tomorrow.”

The 22-year-old, who signed a six-year contract extension before his MLB debut, has 24 hits, 21 strikeouts and 10 walks in his 133 plate appearances. He has a long way to go until he gets those numbers where he wants them to be, and he remains in search of his first home run (after hitting 27 in the minors in 2023), but his 16.4% strikeout rate indicates quality plate appearances, with a steady approach despite the lack of results.

He makes contact at a high rate when he swings at pitches inside the strike zone.

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The difference between his .192 batting average against fastballs and .317 expected batting average against fastballs — as well as his .212 slugging percentage on fastballs compared his .563 expected sluggging percentage — describes him as an unlucky hitter, suggesting better times are coming soon.

Eventually, Keith will hit for contact and power.

He hit .306 last season in 126 games with Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo.

“I’ve been getting more and more comfortable every day,” Keith said. “The last couple games, I feel like the nerves are starting to calm down, and I’m not getting these in big situations anymore. Today, I came out and I felt like normal. I wasn’t stressing about things I can’t control. I just went out there and made sure my timing was on time. I felt good, felt loose and got some hits.”

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The hits didn’t stop after the second-inning single.

Keith, a left-handed hitter, connected with an inside cutter from Nelson for an RBI single in the third inning. He was trying to for a flyball, but instead, he shot the ball down the first-base line, past the diving first baseman and into right field.

“I was actually trying to hit it in the air,” Keith said. “I was a little late, but luckily, I was trying to hit it in the air. If I had the timing had before, I would’ve gotten jammed, probably a broken bat. But I was able to get out in front. I ended up hitting it on the ground, not doing what I’m supposed to do, but I got a base hit.”

It’s about time Keith had a little luck on his side.

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He continued to pile on, hitting another outside changeup from Nelson — just like the hit in the second inning — for an RBI single in the fifth inning and hitting an outside sinker from right-handed reliever Matt Bowman in the sixth.

Keith didn’t carry the Tigers, as there were six players with multiple hits, but the first four-hit performance of his career was part of a crucial team breakthrough on offense following back-to-back shutouts by the Miami Marlins at Comerica Park.

“It’s definitely great,” Keith said. “I feel like today was a good start to get in a groove and keep playing.”

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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Detroit Tigers (22-22) at Arizona Diamondbacks (21-24)

When: 6:10 p.m. Monday.

Where: Chase Field in Phoenix.

TV: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB Network outside Detroit market. (Have Xfinity but still looking for a way to watch BSD? Here are some other options.)

Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1). (Tigers radio affiliates).

Probable pitchers: Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty (0-3, 3.88ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (5-2, 2.86).

Weather: Indoors.

• Box score

Tigers lineup: TBA.

EVAN PETZOLD: Detroit Tigers stock watch: Three pitchers among best in bigs, but big bats aren’t hitting

Game notes: How many American Cy Young candidates can one team have?

Asking for a friend, whose name certainly doesn’t rhyme with Mack Blaherty. Look, Tarik Skubal is absolutely the front-runner, especially after Friday night’s performance in which he retired the first 13 batters he faced. And Reese Olson’s campaign is starting to pick up steam, even if he can’t pick up any victories.

And then there’s Mack Blaherty … er, Jack Flaherty, whose first season could hardly be going better. Ignore his 3.38 ERA (which is actually pretty good, when not compared to the aforementioned Tigers), and check out his 2.95 FIP. (That’s Fielding Independent Pitching — a measure of the three things pitchers can control — homers, strikeouts and walks.) Flaherty entered Friday ranked 11^th among qualified AL starters, ahead of previous Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes (3.52, 20^th) and just a bit behind teammates Olson (2.52, fourth) and Skubal (2.01, first).

Flaherty is also racking up the strikeouts; his 63 were good for third entering Friday (though Skubal shot past him against the D’backs). And walks? Flaherty has issued just six, third-fewest among AL starters qualified for the ERA title (behind only Tampa Bay’s Zach Eflin, with four, and Seattle’s George Kirby, with five). Take them together, and Flaherty has a ridiculous 10.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio, No. 1 in all of baseball. If Flaherty can keep up that pace, he’d finish third in MLB’s modern era —dating back to 1900 — behind only Bret Saberhagen (11.00 with the Mets in 1994) and Phil Hughes (11.63 with the Twins in 2014).

Of course, Flaherty is stuck behind the same wall as Olson — he has yet to pick up a victory in his eight starts, thanks to poor relief pitching and a lack of run support. Normally, we’d note the latter might not be a problem against the Diamondbacks, who entered Friday allowing 4.55 runs a game, 11^th-most in the majors this season. But they’ll be sending ace Zac Gallen to the Chase Field mound tonight.

Flaherty’s opponent, Zac Gallen, knows something about Cy Young talk; the right-hander is coming off back-to-back top-five finishes in NL Cy Young voting, including a third-place nod last season, when he had a 3.47 ERA with 220 strikeouts and 47 walks in 210 innings. His ERA has been better this season, at 2.86, but the peripherals have dropped off a bit, at 45 strikeouts and 14 walks in 44 winnings, for an FIP of 3.57 (good for 17^th in the NL).

After tonight’s game, the Tigers and Diamondbacks wrap up their series at 4:10 p.m. Sunday with righty Matt Manning taking on lefty Jordan Montgomery. After that, the Tigers zip east to open their three-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Monday night, while the D’backs head west for a three-game set against the NL West-leading Dodgers in Los Angeles.

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Live updates

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Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.  

DETROIT – A smoke shop on Detroit’s east side is shut down by the city after police say the business was caught selling marijuana without a license.

Vapes on Pointe on Warren Avenue had an orange sign across its door, sealing it shut.

Police say the shop was brought to their attention after community members reported a minor was sold marijuana at the establishment.

“My great nephew came up here and made some purchases, (he’s) 14 years old,” said Deboraha Underwood. “Weed, edibles, vape pen.”

Underwood got police and community activists involved.

“Our Vice unit did a subsequent investigation and was able to purchase some marijuana items from this location, at which time we made some arrests, executed a search warrant, and had to effectively close down the building,” said Detroit Police Commander Jevon Johnson.

Community activist Teferi Brent works with a group raising awareness about shops selling tobacco or marijuana products to minors.

“The police did the right thing in responding immediately,” said Brent.

Brent said this is the fifth shop they’ve helped police shut down.

“There may be 500 more,” Brent said. “If that’s what it takes to get these people to stop selling poison to our children.”

–> Activists rally against tobacco shops selling to minors in Detroit