Spencer Torkelson clubbed a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth and the host Detroit Tigers topped the Miami Marlins 6-5 on Monday night.
Torkelson’s long ball, his second of the season, made a winner of Alex Faedo (3-1). Jason Foley recorded his 10th save.
Otto Lopez hit a two-run homer for the Marlins in the opener of the three-game series.
Marlins starter Sixto Sanchez gave up three unearned runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. Detroit’s Matt Manning, called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier Monday, allowed three runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.
The Tigers scored three runs in the second. Kerry Carpenter led off with a single and Colt Keith reached on a fielder’s choice. Zach McKinstry then drew a one-out walk to load the bases.
Javier Baez grounded into a fielder’s choice to plate Carpenter. Carson Kelly and Riley Greene followed with RBI singles to right.
McKinstry tried to score all the way from first on a steal of second in the fourth. The throw from catcher Christian Bethancourt sailed into center field, and McKinstry kept going, but he was thrown out at the plate by center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.
The Marlins evened the score in the fifth. Vidal Brujan led off with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Bryan De La Cruz’s two-out single. Josh Bell’s double brought home De La Cruz, and Jesus Sanchez made it 3-3 with an RBI single.
The Tigers left two runners on base in the fifth.
With two outs in the eighth, the Marlins grabbed the lead against Faedo. Nick Gordon singled before Lopez blasted his third homer of the year over the left-center-field wall to give his team a 5-3 edge.
The Tigers retook the lead with a three-run eighth against Anthony Maldonado (0-1). Wenceel Perez hit a one-out double and scored on Andy Ibanez’s single. With two outs, Torkelson launched a slider over the left-center-field wall.
The Marlins were making their first appearance in Detroit since the 2019 season.
–Field Level Media