The Detroit Tigers finally found the power they had been missing, and it was enough to hold off the Tampa Bay Rays, 10-9, on Monday night at Tropicana Field. Detroit hit five home runs, including two from Dillon Dingler, and built enough early offense to survive a late Tampa Bay push. The final score was confirmed as Detroit 10, Tampa Bay 9.

Detroit continued their format of scoring early. Kevin McGonigle opened the game with a single to right, and Dingler followed with a single to left. Kerry Carpenter struck out, but Riley Greene put the Tigers on the board with a two-run double to right, scoring McGonigle and Dingler for a 2-0 lead.

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The biggest swing of the night came in the third inning, when Detroit hit three straight home runs off Griffin Jax. McGonigle walked to start the inning before Dingler drove a two-run homer to center, his 12th of the season. Carpenter followed with a solo shot to right-center, his seventh. Greene then made it three in a row with a solo homer to center, his fifth, pushing Detroit ahead 6-0.

Dingler added another homer in the fifth, a solo shot to center off Trevor Martin, giving him his first career multi-homer game. He finished with four hits and four RBIs, including an RBI double in the eighth that became one of the biggest insurance runs of the night. MLB’s highlight page credited Dingler with four hits, four RBIs and the first multi-homer game of his career.

Hao-Yu Lee also got in on the power display in the sixth, hitting his second home run of the season to right field to make it 8-2. Lee also helped defensively, taking part in two double plays that slowed Tampa Bay threats in the fifth and seventh innings. The first came with Yandy Díaz on after a single in the fifth, and the second came after Díaz singled again in the seventh.

Ty Madden gave Detroit a solid start before Tampa Bay got to him in the fourth. Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer, his 14th of the season, after Richie Palacios walked. Madden later allowed a single to Chandler Simpson and walked Victor Mesa Jr. before Tyler Holton came in and ended the inning by striking out Cedric Mullins and getting Nick Fortes to pop out in foul territory.

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The Rays kept chipping away. Ryan Vilade, who entered as a pinch-runner after Simpson left the game, hit a three-run homer in the sixth off Brenan Hanifee to cut Detroit’s lead to 8-5. Drew Sommers and Kyle Finnegan helped Detroit get through the rest of the sixth and seventh without allowing the game to tighten further.

The eighth inning ended up deciding it. Lee singled to center, Zach McKinstry moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt, and McGonigle advanced him to third with a flyout. Dingler then doubled to center to score Lee, and Carpenter followed with an RBI double to left to score Dingler. That gave Detroit a 10-5 lead.

Tampa Bay answered with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Beau Brieske walked Caminero, Mesa and Mullins around one out, and Will Vest entered with the bases loaded. Fortes hit a two-run double, and Ben Williamson followed with a two-run single to right, cutting Detroit’s lead to 10-9. Vest limited the damage from there, getting Jonathan Aranda on a soft groundout and Palacios on a flyout to center.

Detroit did not add on in the ninth after Jahmai Jones drew a walk, leaving the game in the hands of Vest, who was hanging on the ropes. He finished it off, giving the Tigers a win built on early power, Dingler’s best offensive game of the season and just enough pitching late to protect the lead.