Chicago ― Like presidents, baseball managers don’t age all that well. Take a picture at the beginning of the season and another at the end, and you’ll see a stark difference. Just look at retired Jim Leyland, a Hall-of-Famer who looks a decade younger these days than when he was managing.
So, yes, Tigers manager AJ Hinch would prefer a few more laughers. Certainly, they’re better for the complexion.
But he’ll take the Tigers’ record in one-run games, which improved to a major league-best 17-8 with Monday’s 2-1 victory over the White Sox at Rate Field, where Spencer Torkelson’s homer in the ninth inning was the difference.
“I mean, obviously, I wish we had less one-run games … (it’d) just make for easier games,” Hinch said Tuesday afternoon, before the scheduled (and rain-delayed) Game 2 of the series on the South Side of Chicago. “But when you are caught in those games that are close, I mean, you’ve got to play your 27 outs, which is a lot of coach speak.
“It’s what I’ve mentioned day after day after day, both inside our clubhouse and to you guys. Play the game, and sometimes it’s going to be sort of widespread and we have a couple of leads, and other times we’re going to need to fight and close to come up with one extra run, the way we did last night with the big swing.”
It’s tough to decipher exactly what one-run wins mean.
On the downside, it could mean that you’re not dominant enough to blow away opponents. On the flip (and positive) sign, it could mean that you play a lot of clean baseball games, as the Tigers did Monday night, coming up with timely plays on offense and defense, and timely pitches from Chris Paddack and Co.
Two of the Tigers’ last three wins have been by a single run, including the 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday at Comerica Park.
While blowout wins may be easier on the manager and players’ psyche, there’s a certain level of confidence in knowing that when things are tight, you’ve been there before. That’s particularly helpful knowledge in the postseason, where games are traditionally tighter and absolutely more pressure-packed.
“All that matters is at the end of the game, you have at least more run than them,” said Hinch, whose Tigers have won nine of 14 games, since dropping 12 of 13.
With Monday’s win, they’ve won two games in a row for the first time this month, for just the second time in the last month.
“And you can get there in a lot of different ways,” Hinch said.
Cobb transferred to Triple-A Toledo
There’s news on Alex Cobb. What it means, who knows?
Cobb, the veteran right-handed starter who has yet to pitch in the major leagues this year as he works through a hip injury, has had his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Toledo. He’s scheduled to pitch for the Mud Hens on Thursday. It will be his second start for Toledo, for whom he threw two innings on June 1.
Cobb, 37, has spent most of his time pitching in rehab assignments for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps, with five starts, including two this month.
Cobb has a 2.13 ERA in 12.2 innings this season, with 16 strikeouts and a 1.18 WHIP, while getting multiple injections in his hip since signing a one-year, $15-million deal with the Tigers over the offseason. He remains hopeful that he will pitch at some point this season. Last season, he made just three starts for the Cleveland Guardians in August and September, before pitching for them in the postseason, including the ALDS victory over the Tigers.
Fellow right-hander starter Sawyer Gipson-Long (neck) is set to make a rehab appearance for Toledo on Wednesday.
Torkelson ties Martinez’s HR record
Torkelson hit the big home run Monday night, and he didn’t even get that good of a look at it.
“I actually didn’t really know,” said Torkelson, whose solo, go-ahead shot in the ninth inning clanged off the left-most part of the left-field foul pole. “And then the dugout saw it hit the pole.
“It felt great. Celebrated with the guys.”
Torkelson’s homer was his 26th of the season, making him the first Tiger with two 26-or-more homer seasons in a three-year span since Victor Martinez had 32 in 2014 and 27 in 2016. Torkelson had 31 two seasons ago, before dipping to 10 last season. That made him a question mark coming into spring training this season.
But Torkelson won the first-base job out of camp and has kept it. His 26 homers are tied with the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso for the first in the major leagues among players whose primary position is first base. Torkelson’s 49 extra-base hits this season lead the AL, and trail only Alonso (56) in the majors.
Around the horn
▶ More from Hinch on Paddack and his relentless strike throwing, including throwing first-pitch strikes to 18 of 20 hitters Monday night: “When you get ahead, you put so much pressure on the decisions that the hitter has to make for the rest of the at-bat. … We preach first-pitch strikes. He fits that, and he challenged the competition over the plate. Games are won and lost over the plate. It’s not won by, you know, being afraid of strikes.”
▶ Hinch wasn’t ready to commit to his pitching plans for the series finale Wednesday, preferring to see how Tuesday’s game shook out with Jack Flaherty on the mound. But Hinch mentioned Troy Melton and Brant Hurter when discussing possible multiple-innings options for Wednesday’s game. Melton, a rookie right-hander moved to the bullpen following the trade for Charlie Morton, would be on four days’ rest, and Hurter, a lefty, would be on six days’ rest.
▶ If the Tigers are going to put a stranglehold on the AL Central, now’s surely the time to do it. They’re in the middle of a long stretch against subpar competition, with 14 of their next 17 games against teams currently under .500. The Tigers entered Tuesday with a 6.5-game lead on the Cleveland Guardians.
▶ In the last calendar year, the Tigers are 100-64, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in that span. Next-closest in the American League are the Houston Astros (94-70), who the Tigers play next week.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
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Tigers at White Sox
▶ First pitch: 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, Rate Field, Chicago
▶ TV/radio: FDSD/97.1
Scouting report
▶ TBD, Tigers: Hinch decided to push Tarik Skubal’s start back a day, meaning he’ll go in the opener of the series in Minnesota on Thursday. The Tigers could go the opener route, or they could start rookie right-hander Troy Melton, who would be on his normal four days’ rest since his last outing ― which came out of the bullpen. His first two appearances were starts, and his last two have been in relief.
▶ RHP Shane Smith (3-7, 4.22), White Sox: He’s made two starts since returning from an ankle injury, and he’s been OK, allowing four earned runs in 9.1 innings over those two appearances. He struck out eight in his last start, against the Mariners, over five innings. He blanked the Tigers over 5.1 innings during a start back in early June.