Miami – Talk about stepping up.
The Tigers’ bullpen was paper thin, having covered 11 innings the two previous nights. And Sunday was a scheduled bullpen game.
“We’ll be fine,” manager AJ Hinch said Saturday night.
BOX SCORE: Tigers 2, Marlins 0
His crystal ball must have reflected a clutch five-inning performance by Keider Montero.
“We had a full array of innings and pitches for him,” Hinch said after Montero’s five scoreless innings set the tone for the Tigers to salvage the finale of the series with a 2-0 win over the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park Sunday. “And his stuff maintained through the outing and that was a good sign. Going in, we thought he could go three or four innings. We knew he had about five (max) based on how the last 10 to 14 days went.
“But that was big for us in a time of need.”
Montero, who has been toggled between Detroit and Toledo four times this season, hadn’t thrown more than 79 pitches in a game since Aug. 23 and hadn’t thrown that many in the big leagues since July 25.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect that many pitches,” Montero said through interpreter Carlos Guillen. “That’s why I was on top of the hitters and attacking the zone early. Knowing, too, that they are very aggressive hitters and I took advantage of that.”
A clean, five-pitch first inning got things started on the right track. So did the way he was commanding his pitches.
“He has tremendous stuff,” said Dillon Dingler, who has caught Montero since they were in Low-A ball at West Michigan in 2021. “Robin Lund (assistant pitching coach) told me the biggest thing for Keider today was he threw all of his pitches at a 70% strike clip. That’s incredible.
“And that makes all the difference in the world. If he shows he can command all of his pitches in zone, you have to pick which ones you want, and oftentimes that’s how you get guys off-balance.”
Spinning both his slider (up to 2,800 rpm) and knuckle-curve (up to 3,000-rpm) effectively off a 95-mph four-seam fastball, Montero scattered three singles and struck out five without issuing a walk. He got four misses on nine swings at his slider and only one was put in play.
“The good version of Keider establishes the strike zone,” Hinch said. “And when he does, he’s got a lot of pitches that hitters have to cover.”
If he was fatigued toward the end of his outing, he threw 76 pitches, he didn’t show it. Especially in the fourth inning. He gave up a two-out single and then went toe-to-toe with Troy Johnston, whose walk-off homer beat the Tigers Saturday night.
The at-bat went eight pitches with Montero finally punching him out with a 94-mph heater.
“I’m grateful,” Montero said. “I’m grateful to God, too, for giving me the opportunity, for being on the mound again and starting the game. I am looking forward to any opportunity that the guys give me just to help the team win games. Any role, I don’t care. I’m ready for that.”
He got a well-earned hug from Hinch after he finished a clean fifth inning, preserving a two-run lead.
Veteran right-hander Jose Urquidy, back on a big-league mound for the first time since 2023, got four outs in his Tigers’ debut.
He left with two on and one out in the seventh, but Tommy Kahnle had his back, getting the final two outs.
“It was pretty emotional for him,” Hinch said of Urquidy, who has made it back from Tommy John surgery. “I know it meant a lot to him and I also know he wanted to complete his second inning. He’s worked so hard and it hasn’t been easy. He was proud and he should be.”
Kahnle pitched a scoreless eighth, dispatching the top of the Marlins lineup, and turned it over to Will Vest. Vest, who pitched two scoreless high-leverage innings Saturday, throwing 22 pitches, earned his 21st save.
He had to dig deep, retiring pinch-hitter Joey Wiemer and Javier Sanoja with two runners on.
The Tigers (85-65) maintained their 6.5-game lead over the Guardians in the Central Division. The Tigers will open a three-game series against the Guardians at Comerica Park Tuesday.
“It’s a win total exercise toward the end of the year,” Hinch said before the game. “It’s about winning series and it’s playing our entire schedule. What an opportunity we have to enter the final 13 games of the year with a lead. And we get to play our rival when we get home.”
It wasn’t a banner day for the Tigers’ offense.
The two runs were mostly gifted to them in the second inning when the Marlins committed three errors on one play.
True story.
With Spencer Torkelson on first and two outs, Colt Keith ripped a ball that caromed off first baseman Eric Wagaman. He inadvertently kicked the ball into foul territory.
Wagaman tried to throw out Torkelson at third base but his throw was wild. Torkelson scored and then, after left fielder Johnston misplayed the errant throw, Keith scampered all the way to third.
Dingler singled him home.
“One of the things we do really well is play to the final stop,” Hinch said. “That was a play you don’t normally see. Just a multitude of errors and players running all over the place. And then Dingler came up right after that and got the base hit.
“Little did we know at that time that was going to be the comfort zone the rest of the game. But our willingness to be aggressive 100 percent of the time is a key component of our style.”
Dingler’s base hit was the only hit the Tigers mustered in six innings against Marlins starter Adam Mazur. They had four in the game.
But there’s no such thing as a bad win.
“We definitely wanted to get this last game and create a little momentum going into the (Cleveland) series,” Dingler said. “Especially going back home. I’m sure the crowds are going to be great and I’m sure the games are going to feel like playoff games, however you want to look at the picture. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
The earliest the Tigers could clinch the division is Thursday.
@cmccosky
Tigers magic number
On Sunday, the Tigers beat the Marlins and the Guardians beat the White Sox, so the Tigers’ magic number to win the American League Central was reduced to 7.
TIGERS’ REMAINING GAMES
Sept. 16-18: Cleveland (3)
Sept. 19-21: Atlanta (3)
Sept. 23-25: At Cleveland (3)
Sept. 26-28: At Boston (3)
Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.