Will Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal win back-to-back Cy Young Awards?
Nick Pollack, founder of “Pitcher List,” shares his insights on “Days of Roar” on Tarik Skubal vs. Garrett Crochet in 2025 AL Cy Young race.
- The Detroit Tigers lost to the Miami Marlins, 6-3, in 11 innings.
- Kerry Carpenter homered in the third inning to drive in two for the Tigers.
- Charlie Morton allowed two runs over four rocky innings for the Tigers.
MIAMI — The Miami Marlins beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-4, when Troy Johnston hit a walk-off homer – his second of the game – in the 11th inning.
The Tigers were locked in a 3-3 tie late against the Marlins at loanDepot Park in the middle contest of a three-game set on Saturday, Sept. 13.
Tigers reliever Tommy Kahnle, who was pitching for just the second time in six days, was given the eighth inning and he shut down Miami – three up, three down – with nine pitches. That’s a good sign for the Tigers’ postseason hopes.
After the Tigers failed to score in the ninth, right-hander Will Vest was brought in. Vest had not pitched since Sunday, Sept. 7, but he came out sharp. After getting the first two batters, Victor Mesa Jr. hit a sharp liner to left field but Riley Greene tracked it down.
INJURY UPDATE: Detroit Tigers ace doesn’t appear seriously hurt
In the 10th, Vest returned for his second inning and it was wildly dramatic. To open the inning, Javier Sanoja popped up a bunt and Vest caught it and fired to second, doubling off Mesa, on second as the automatic runner. But any sense of relief was short-lived. After the Marlins put runners on second and third, Liam Hicks lined out to Trey Sweeney at short.
In the 11th, the Tigers took the lead when Wenceel Pérez doubled to right, knocking in Greene, the free runner, to open the inning. Soon after, Colt Keith was walked to load the bases with nobody out. Dillon Dingler struck out. After the Marlins turned to lefty Josh Simpson, he threw a wild pitch, but the ball bounced off the backstop and Spencer Torkelson, coming home from third, was tagged out at the plate. The Marlins then intentionally walked Jahmai Jones and struck out Parker Meadows to hold the Tigers to one run from a bases loaded with no outs situation.
Rafael Montero pitched the 11th, and nearly got out of a runners-on-first-and-third jam, inducing a ground ball from Heriberto Hernández to defensive replacement Javier Báez. But the Tigers couldn’t turn the double play, and the Marlins tied it up and brought Johnston back to the plate.
The Tigers (84-65) will finish this six-game, two-city road trip on Sunday, Sept. 13 (1:40 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit) with a bullpen game against the Marlins (70-79). Detroit’s magic number to clinch the American League Central remained at eight, with the Tigers’ division lead on Cleveland shrinking to seven games, with the Guardians playing the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
Charlie Morton dances through trouble
Right-hander Charlie Morton got the start for the Tigers and he spent the better part of the afternoon walking through a minefield of his own making.
Miami scored first off an Agustín Ramírez double, a Dingler throwing error and an Otto Lopez single. Not that it really mattered, but he probably would have scored even without the throwing error.
Morton made the situation more dramatic when he was called for a balk – after throwing to first three times without picking off the runner – and Lopez advanced to second. But Morton got out of it when Hernández grounded out to third.
He got into trouble in the second when he walked Acosta, he advanced to second on a ground out and scored off a Javier Sanoja double. After walking Marsee, he was in serious trouble. But he got out of it by striking out Ramirez to end the inning.
He got into trouble again in the third inning after a pair of walks but got out of it when Maximo Acosta grounded out to thid as Colt Keith made a nice running throw.
Morton was done after four innings, giving up two runs. He gave up three hits and walked four but had four strikeouts.
Melton gives Tigers a chance to win it
Troy Melton, the 24-year-old rookie right hander, had another solid performance, pitching in his 13th game.
He gave up a tying homer to Johnston – who came into the game with just one in his career – in the sixth inning but Melton was otherwise solid. He went three innings and tried to sneak annother inning in by walking to the middle of the dugout, but Tigers manager A.J. Hinch walked down the dugout to track him down and shake his hand, signalling the end of his outing.
Melton threw three innings, giving up a run off two hits and left the game after the seventh inning with the score tied, 3-3.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.
