Through two games in Minnesota, the Tigers certainly look like they’re the aggressor in the AL Central Division.
After a gritty comeback win on national TV — for anyone who pays for Apple TV+, that is — Friday night, Detroit continued to put the pressure on the Twins right out of the gate. The Tigers put up a run in the first inning and let the rookie in Jackson Jobe take it from there. In a rather uneventful game, the Tigers of the Motor City cruised to a 4-0 victory.
The Tigers wasted no time in getting on the board. Zach McKinstry led off with a walk and moved over to third on a throwing error by Carlos Correa. Spencer Torkelson then played a little small ball, driving him in with a sac fly to right field, giving Jobe a lead to work with before even throwing a pitch.
They added to their lead in the fourth with more small ball, getting another sac fly this time from Justyn-Henry Malloy to score Tork.
While Chris Paddack came into the game sporting a 14.73 ERA to go with a 2.59 WHIP, he limited the damage against a feisty Tigers offense, allowing only two runs over five innings.
Kody Funderburk took over for Paddack in the sixth inning and AJ Hinch left Kerry Carpenter in to face the lefty. Carpenter rewarded Hinch for his trust with a single up the middle. Spencer Torkelson then continued his renaissance with a 421-foot bomb to left center field that ricocheted off the second deck to put the Tigers up 4-0.
Jackson Jobe starred for the Tigers, throwing six shutout innings to earn his first Major League win. While he only tallied two strikeouts, he kept the Twins off-balance all afternoon, inducing tons of weak contact and at one point retiring 13 straight batters.
He averaged 96.9 MPH on his fastball, touching 98.7 MPH, and threw a plethora of nasty changeups and cutters. The stuff remains undeniable, and the strikeouts will come in spades as he gets a better feel for big league hitters.
Following Jobe, Brennan Hanifee, Tyler Holton, and John Brebbia all held it down out of the bullpen, each pitching scoreless innings.
Recap provided by BYB emeritus staff member, Cam Kaiser.
