Matt Vierling saved the Detroit Tigers from embarrassment.

Vierling didn’t do anything special, but his single off right-hander Bailey Ober in the fourth inning kept the Tigers from being no-hit by the Minnesota Twins in Sunday’s finale of a three-game series at Comerica Park.

The Tigers lost, 5-0.

The offense finished with one hit, three walks and 13 strikeouts.

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The Tigers (52-55) ran another bullpen-only game, an all-too-common occurrence with only three pitchers in the starting rotation. Right-hander Kenta Maeda consumed the bulk of the work, taking down five innings as the third of six pitchers.

But Ober — a 29-year-old who entered with a 4.09 ERA in 19 starts — stole the show in Sunday’s game, his 20th start of the season. He fired eight scoreless innings with two walks with 12 strikeouts, throwing 98 pitches.

Vierling produced the lone hit against Ober in the fourth inning, but after he reached first base, the Tigers stranded him: Colt Keith grounded into a force out, Wenceel Pérez struck out swinging, and Mark Canha struck out swinging.

The two walks: Vierling with two outs in the sixth inning and Canha with one out in the seventh inning.

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After Vierling’s walk, Keith flew out to the left fielder in foul territory. After Canha’s walk, Bligh Madris popped out to the third baseman in foul territory and Ryan Vilade grounded into a force out.

In the eighth inning, the Tigers pinch-hit right-handed Justyn-Henry Malloy (replacing left-handed Zach McKinstry) and right-handed Carson Kelly (replacing right-handed Jake Rogers), but Ober struck out both pinch-hitters.

Ober then struck out Javier Báez — for the second time in three matchups — to complete his eight-inning masterpiece.

In the ninth inning, pinch-hitter Andy Ibáñez worked a one-out walk against left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar, but the next two batters stranded him to end the game.

Kenta Maeda in relief

Maeda allowed one run on five hits and zero walks with four strikeouts across five innings, throwing 83 pitches. The 36-year-old, a former starter making his third appearance out of the bullpen, entered in the third inning and stayed in through the seventh.

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The Tigers opened with right-hander Alex Faedo in the first and second innings, followed by left-hander Easton Lucas in the second and third innings. Both pitchers were charged with one earned run, making it 2-0 in the early innings.

Maeda looked sharp throughout his five-inning performance, taking over for Lucas in the third. He worked around a two-out single from Willi Castro in the fourth inning and a leadoff double from Manuel Margot, but he couldn’t escape damage in the seventh inning.

Castro opened the seventh with a leadoff single. He then scored on Matt Wallner’s one-out double to left field. The double from Wallner put the Twins ahead, 3-0.

Jason Foley struggles

Right-hander Shelby Miller completed the eighth inning on 13 pitches, and while right-hander Jason Foley planned to complete the ninth inning, he allowed two hits and one walk — leading to a 4-0 advantage for the Twins — without recording an out.

The downfall of Foley forced the Tigers to call upon left-hander Andrew Chafin. The Tigers intentionally walked Royce Lewis to load the bases, then Ryan Jeffers made it 5-0 with a single to left field.

But Chafin responded by striking out three batters in a row to strand the bases loaded: Carlos Santana (swinging strike, slider), Margot (swinging strike, slider) and Max Kepler (swinging strike, sinker).

In the ninth, Foley threw 10 pitches and Chafin threw 17.

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

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One of the nation’s strictest abortion laws will take effect in Iowa on Monday. Abortion care providers in Minnesota expect an increase in patients as another border state limits abortion access.

The Iowa law prohibits most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, when fetal cardiac activity can be detected but before many know they are pregnant. The only exceptions to the ban are in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the patient.

Previously, Iowa had permitted abortions until 22 weeks of pregnancy.

Last week, an Iowa district court judge lifted an injunction blocking the six-week abortion ban from going into effect.

Dozens of states instituted at least some restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal right to abortion more than two years ago.

“When the Dobbs decision came down, many of the patients coming to Iowa were from Missouri,” said Sarah Traxler, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood North Central States. “This is going to have resounding impacts on the region itself, especially the Midwest and the South.”

Traxler added that the Iowa law will “further widen already gaping health inequities affecting the working class, Black people, people living in rural areas and young people.”

According to the Guttmacher Institute, in 2023, about 20 percent of patients served in Minnesota were from out-of-state.

In the past year, Whole Woman’s Health of Minnesota, an independently owned, nonprofit abortion clinic in Bloomington, served patients from North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida and Arkansas.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health and Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, said they expect to see an increase.

On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan toured the clinic and reiterated that Iowans seeking abortions are welcome in the state. “If you’re afraid, come to Minnesota, we’ve got you.”

Since 2023, Minnesota law includes constitutional protections for abortion and is one of the states that is most protective of access.

Not all are fond of the state’s approach.

Cathy Blaeser, the co-executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, said “Minnesotans are not looking to be the abortion mecca of the Midwest” and that MCCL is “encouraged to see Iowa’s increased protection for human beings in the womb, as well as increased protections for women.”

Of the states bordering Minnesota, only Wisconsin permits abortions up to 22 weeks. North Dakota has a near-total ban, as does South Dakota. In November, South Dakota voters will determine whether the state would be “prohibited from regulating a woman’s decision to have an abortion” in the first three months of pregnancy. The ballot measure would only allow abortion regulation from the second trimester forward, and only permit that regulation if it does not interfere with the health of the pregnant person.

Check back here each day till Aug. 11 to find out how the athletes with Minnesota ties did at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Saturday, July 27

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Timberwolves, men’s basketball: Canada opened its first Olympic tournament since 2000 with an 86-79 win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece. Alexander was 0-for-5 from the field in 12:33.

Sarah Bacon, Gophers, diving: A five-time national diving champion at the U, Bacon won the first medal for Team USA in Paris, taking silver in the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard event with Kassidy Cook.

Michael Boxall, Loons, men’s soccer: The 35-year-old defender is in his third Olympics for New Zealand, which lost to the United States 4-1 in a group play match. New Zealand and the U.S. are tied with three points in Group A with one game to play.

Peter Durben, St. Paul, shooting: A St. Paul native and a 1992 Olympian in the 50-meter rifle event, Durben is the rifle coach of the U.S. shooting team, which finished 13th.

Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves, men’s basketball: He had seven points and three rebounds in 18 minutes for France in the host country’s 78-66 victory over Brazil.

Joe Ingles, Timberwolves, men’s basketball: The 36-year-old Ingles, who signed with the Wolves this month, played about two minutes and scored no points in Australia’s 92-80 win over Spain.