Zimmermann strong for more than six innings and offense hammers 14 hits in third straight win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Don’ t tell the Detroit Tigers their season is over.
Though all signs point to the team trading some of their key components over the next two weeks – not the least of which was the speculation that ramped up in earnest on Monday – they are now on a three-game winning streak.
It’s likely both too little and too late, but as the Tigers’ front office huddled nearby, their team showed the latest signs of life.
They pounded the Royals, 10-2, providing early offense as Jordan Zimmermann’s right arm carried them to victory.
“There was contributions up and down the lineup, ” manager Brad Ausmus said. “Sometimes, we think that should happen everyday but it doesn’ t happen like that in baseball. But that’s the type of offense we think we have.”
Nick Castellanos hit a home run, Mikie Mahtook did, too, and the Tigers jumped all over left-hander Jason Vargas early. They tagged Vargas for six runs in 2 2/3 innings, providing Zimmermann a lead he wouldn’ t come close to relinquishing.
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Zimmermann was great: He pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run on seven hits. He tied a season-high with seven strikeouts and didn’ t walk a batter.
“It was huge, ” he said about the early lead. “It allows me to settle in and not try to be perfect with every pitch. I was able to just pound the strike zone and get ahead. That was a big part of my game tonight.”
So much so, he became the first pitcher since 2008 – and first Tiger since 1988 – to throw 81% strikes. Of his 97 pitches, 79 were strikes.
The only run he allowed came in the bottom of the seventh inning on the only extra-base hit he allowed: A double to right-centerfield off the bat of Whit Merrifield.
“His stuff was good, ” Ausmus said.
The Tigers got started in the first inning when Ian Kinsler doubled but was caught advancing home on a comebacker to Vargas off the bat of Justin Upton. Still, Kinsler stayed alive between third base and home plate long enough for Castellanos to advance to third base and Upton to second.
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After intentionally walking J. D. Martinez, Vargas walked Victor Martinez to drive in a run.
What they left in the first inning, they made up for in the second: Kinsler hit an RBI triple before Castellanos hit his 12th home run of the season, a moonshot to straightaway centerfield. In the third, Mahtook hit a no-doubter into the fountains in left-centerfield for his fifth home run of the season.
Kinsler went 3-for-5 with three extra-base hits. Mahtook and Victor Martinez each had three hits.
Though trade speculation continues to surround him, J. D. Martinez was pulled from the game after five innings with lower back tightness, according to the Tigers. The move was precautionary, but certainly could be related to the negotiations the team is having about J. D. Martinez, according to MLB Network’s Jon Paul Morosi.
Though the Tigers allowed a pair of late runs, they tacked a few on, as well, and totaled 14 hits in the game.
“We’ re getting production from different guys at different times, ” Ausmus said.
With the win, they are on a three-game winning streak for the first time since early June. They remain six games behind the Indians for first place in the American League Central Division and five games back of the league’s second wild card spot.
“We’ re just playing baseball, ” Mahtook said. “We’ re playing good baseball. We’ re getting guys over, we’ re getting guys in, we’ re playing smart baseball and when you’ re doing that, the game starts to reward you. It’s the kind of game that we expect to have.”
Contact Anthony Fenech: afenech@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech.
