Detroit Tigers are Buzzing, Pull Within Three Games of Wild Card with 10-2 Win Over Phillies

· Yahoo Sports

Detroit has now won six straight games and 10 of its last 11, and this latest victory had a little bit of everything. Through the rain, celebrity appearances, former Tigers, and a chaotic sixth inning, Detroit once again found a way to come out on top, which is quickly becoming the norm.

The Tigers improved to just six games under .500 and pulled within 3.0 games of the final American League Wild Card spot thanks to another dominant outing from Jack Flaherty and timely hitting throughout the lineup in a 10-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Visit saltysenoritaaz.org for more information.

The game remained quiet through the first two innings before both teams traded home runs in the third.

Former Tiger Derek Hill got things started in the top of the inning, taking Jack Flaherty deep for his seventh home run of the season to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.

Detroit answered immediately.

Rookie All-Star Kevin McGonigle launched his eighth home run of the season, sending a towering shot into left-center field to even the score.

The third inning also featured a memorable appearance from Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and a Bloomfield Hills native. During the broadcast, Smith shared the story of knocking on Al Kaline's front door just two days after the Tigers won the 1968 World Series. To his surprise, Kaline answered wearing only his boxers, signed the baseball, and Smith says he still has it to this day.

Maybe Smith was the good luck charm Detroit needed, because moments later McGonigle struck again with a two-run homer to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

Philadelphia answered in the fourth, and once again it was Derek Hill doing the damage. With the bases loaded, Hill lined a single into left field in front of Riley Greene. Fortunately for Detroit, Alec Bohm hesitated rounding second and had to stop at third, limiting the damage to just one run as the Phillies tied the game at 2-2.

Former Tiger Alex Avila also made his return to Comerica Park, joining the television broadcast while promoting his new book, Your Detroit Tigers: The Great, the Good, the Top 400. Avila shared stories about Justin Verlander, some friendly trash talk involving Andy Dirks, and offered excellent insight into the game from one of the best catchers to wear the Old English D.

Meanwhile, Jack Flaherty continued one of his best stretches of the season.

After working through a seven-batter fifth inning, Flaherty responded by retiring the Phillies in order in the sixth while striking out two. That was especially encouraging for a pitcher who had struggled when facing hitters for the third time through the order earlier this season.

Flaherty earned the win to improve to 3-8 after beginning the year 0-8. He tossed six strong innings, allowing just two hits and two runs while walking three and striking out six. Through the rain, the humidity, and one of baseball's toughest lineups, Flaherty extended his streak of starts with at least five innings pitched and three or fewer hits allowed. The two runs were also the first he has surrendered since June 12. He has now completed at least five innings while allowing three or fewer runs in six of his last seven starts, continuing to earn back the trust of Tigers fans.

Then came the bottom of the sixth.

It was pure chaos.

Eduardo Valencia, the player who reminded baseball fans why this sport is so special after homering in his first major league at-bat following eight seasons in the minor leagues, delivered yet again.

After hitting 24 home runs in the minors last season and 16 more this year, Valencia forced Detroit's hand to call him up, and he continues to reward that decision. With runners on first and second, Valencia ripped an RBI single into the gap to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

Detroit never looked back.

Zach McKinstry dropped down a perfect bunt on the very next pitch, bringing home another run while Phillies pitcher Richard Lovelady threw the ball wide of first base, allowing everyone to reach safely.

Then James Outman blew the game open.

Outman crushed a ball into the right-center field gap for a bases-clearing triple, pushing Detroit's lead to 6-2. A balk later brought him home, and an inning that began tied at 2-2 suddenly ended with the Tigers holding a commanding 7-2 advantage.

It was a monstrous, chaotic inning that quickly turned into a masterclass of timely hitting and aggressive baseball.

Detroit wasn't finished.

Colt Keith added his eighth home run of the season in the seventh inning before Spencer Torkelson followed it up with his 16th homer stretching the lead to 10-2.

The bullpen handled the final three innings with ease as Detroit secured its 44th win of the season, improving to 44-50 with 68 games remaining.

More importantly, the Tigers continue to surge.

Detroit is now just six games under .500, has won 10 of its last 11 games, and has been baseball's hottest team since the calendar flipped to June. The victory also moved the Tigers within 3.0 games of the Seattle Mariners for the final American League Wild Card spot. At the time this article was written, Seattle trailed 6-2. If that score holds, Detroit would move within 2.5 games of the postseason. Either way, the Tigers continue to build momentum and are suddenly making the American League playoff picture far more interesting than it looked just a few weeks ago.

Read full story at source