Andrew Graham
 |  Special to The Detroit News

The Tigers are coming back to the Motor City after sweeping the Colorado Rockies to cap off a successful road swing, winning Game 2 of a doubleheader, 11-1, to polish off the three-game series sweep and a 7-3 record on a 10-game road trip.

A six-run third inning put the Tigers (25-13) in control and a two-run Colt Keith home run in the seventh inning sealed the deal. It was also a day to remember for center fielder Brewer Hicklen, making his MLB debut for Detroit in the nightcap and picking up his first career hits.

“The guys are doing an incredible job,” manager AJ Hinch told FanDuel Sports Detroit after the game. “They come to the field prepared every day. We are locked in on the game. But with the rainout, you’ve gotta restart yourself a little bit. But our guys came out hot. We win a close game in our first game here and sweep the doubleheader.”

Keider Montero came through on the mound for Detroit. He stepped in to start the second game on Thursday after Tuesday’s rain postponement caused the doubleheader. Montero delivered with eight innings of one-run baseball, giving up five hits and striking out two while navigating two walks and a hit batter. 

“The fact that Keider got eight — and really wanted the ninth — it’s obviously a huge boost going into the next series,” Hinch said.

The Tigers now come back to Detroit for a six-game homestand, facing the Texas Rangers and then Boston Red Sox over the next six days in a pair of three-game series.

BOX SCORE: Tigers 11, Rockies 1

MLB STANDINGS

The Tigers come back hot, winners of four straight after sweeping Colorado to cap the road trip, scoring 29 runs in the three-game series. The Tigers also hold the best record in the American League, a handful of games clear of the likes of Cleveland, New York and Seattle.

“Our guys continually do a good job of resetting and getting to the next game,” Hinch said. “We’ll do that again tonight. We have a long flight, get in late and this group will show up ready to play tomorrow. I love this group for a lot of reasons, but their resilience, the toughness, the know how on how to play the game is remarkable.”

Early on it looked like the Tigers’ offensive roll might have slowed, as the Rockies eked out a 1-0 lead in the second inning, pushing a runner across via a fielder’s choice with traffic on the bases. 

But as they have all series against Colorado, and during much of the road trip, Detroit’s bats sprang to life, and it started with a bit of a fluke play.

Batting with the bases loaded and no outs, Kerry Carpenter drilled a liner at third baseman Ryan McMahon, who couldn’t secure the ball as he was moving on the pitch and had to reach behind himself. As he picked it up with no option to throw to first, he dove to try and tag out Trey Sweeney going to third, but was too late. And while all that happened, Dillon Dingler scored to tie the game at 1-1. 

Detroit’s offense was just getting going in the third inning, though, as Gleyber Torres came to the plate and drove a bases-clearing double to the alley in right center field. And the Tigers’ 4-1 lead quickly became 5-1 when Spencer Torkelson doubled to switch places with Torres. Then a Jace Jung single scored Torkelson, making it 6-1 and capping the inning. 

After the home-run power had dried up for the Tigers’ offense in the first two games at Coors Field, Keith finally knocked one deep with a 450-foot, two-run homer in the seventh inning. 

Outfielder Brewer Hicklen made his Tigers debut on Thursday, starting in centerfield after getting called up from AAA Toledo. But Hicklen wasn’t content with just debuting for Detroit.

He got his first career MLB hit — an infield single on a chopper — and finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. His second hit, nearly 110 miles per hour off the bat and driven toward the gap, nearly could’ve been extra bases.

“First thing, I went up and I hugged A.J. and I said, ‘You know, I’ll remember you for the rest of my life, because you were part of this special moment,’” Hicklen told FanDuel Sports Detroit. “And he gave me this opportunity. So thankful for the incredible organization, the Tigers giving me this opportunity, believing in me.” 

And Hinch was pleased to be part of the moment, too.

“Really cool,” Hinch said. “We talk about guys coming up and helping us win a game. That’s what we want and he sure did that. Ball finds him early, makes a couple running catches, gets his first knock, dugout goes crazy, then smokes a ball into right center, gets another knock, watching him run the bases, wild.

“And when he scored from first on J-Hen’s double, it’s pretty fun to see. Anybody that can help us win a game, we really wanna use ya’ and I know it means a lot to him.”

As a final twist of the knife, Justyn-Henry Malloy crushed a two-out, bases-clearing double in the top of the eighth inning to blow the game open. 

Now Detroit is ready to get back in front of a Comerica Park crowd and keep the runs flowing after a long time away from home.

“This group’s tough, and we know how to play and we come ready to play and there’s no excuse, no pouting, no whining about it,” Hinch said. “Show up ready.”

Andrew Graham is a freelance writer.

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