In his home state, catcher Jake Rogers delivered a stellar performance by hitting two home runs and effectively guiding his pitchers to secure a 2-1 victory for the Detroit Tigers against the Texas Rangers on Monday night at Globe Life Field.
With two more games scheduled against the Rangers this week in Arlington, the Tigers (30-30) have a chance to continue their winning streak against their opponents (29-31).
Having grown up in Canyon, Texas, near Amarillo, Rogers had the privilege of having friends and family present to witness his impressive display on Monday night. He delighted the crowd by hitting a home run off Rangers’ starter Nathan Eovaldi in the third inning, followed by another home run off reliever Jose Leclerc in the eighth.
Despite only managing two other hits and getting into scoring position just once, the Tigers relied on Rogers’ power hitting to secure the win. Fortunately, their pitcher Tarik Skubal delivered a solid performance, allowing only one run—a lead-off homer by Marcus Semien in the first inning—through six innings of work.
With Rogers leading the charge and Skubal’s strong outing, the Tigers were able to clinch victory with just two runs on the scoreboard.
In the sixth inning, the first two runners managed to get on base, but Skubal responded with two strikeouts and a groundout, effectively ending the threat.
With limited options in the bullpen, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch turned to Beau Brieske in the seventh, deciding to keep him on the mound until he couldn’t go any longer.
However, Brieske proved to be more than capable as he delivered three scoreless innings, surrendering only one hit and throwing a total of 53 pitches.
During this impressive three-inning stretch, Skubal and Brieske combined for seven strikeouts looking, showcasing the exceptional pitch-framing skills of catcher Rogers.
Rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo for his major league debut, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Despite this, he displayed his power in the second inning by driving a first-pitch offering from Eovaldi to right-center field, resulting in a 378-foot warning track flyout.
The Tigers’ performance so far this season is their best through 60 games since 2016, which was the last time they were serious contenders for a playoff spot.
Their records in recent seasons are as follows:
2024: 30-30
2023: 26-34
2022: 24 wins, 36 losses
2021: 25 wins, 35 losses
2019: 23 wins, 37 losses
2018: 28 wins, 32 losses
2017: 29 wins, 31 losses
2016: 30 wins, 30 losses
BOX SCORE
Upcoming: The Tigers and Rangers will face off again on Tuesday at 8:05 p.m.
Tigers’ right-hander Jack Flaherty (2-4, 3.46 ERA) will be matched up against Rangers’ righty Dane Dunning (4-3, 3.94).
The Tigers previously encountered Dunning on April 17 at Comerica Park. Despite struggling with his command and issuing four walks in five innings, he only allowed one earned run.
Dunning, who was selected as the 29th overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Washington Nationals from the University of Florida, was once a college teammate of current Tiger Alex Faedo.
Shortly after being drafted, Dunning was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of a significant deal that involved Adam Eaton.
He made his debut with the White Sox during the shortened 2020 season and was subsequently traded to the Rangers in exchange for Lance Lynn during the offseason.
Dunning is currently in his fourth full season as a member of the Rangers’ rotation.