HOUSTON – A few hours before their series opener, the Detroit Tigers learned right-hander Troy Melton would be scratched from his scheduled start with back tightness. The injury forced a bullpen-only pitching plan. It wasn’t perfect, but six relievers worked together for a 9-3 win over the Houston Astros on Monday, June 15, in the first of three games in the series at Daikin Park. After Melton’s injury, second baseman Gleyber Torres exited the game with an undisclosed injury after a violent swing in the
second inning. Colt Keith provided big swings of a different kind, with three home runs. SHAWN WINDSOR: Justin Verlander’s 2nd turn with Tigers can’t come fast enough for him Right-hander Drew Anderson served as the Tigers’ starter in an opener role, allowing one run on two hits and two walks with five strikeouts across 2⅔ innings. He absorbed the heaviest workload. The Tigers (30-42) trail the first-place Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians by nine games in the American League Central. They’re also 5½ games
back in the AL wild-card race, all while being the third-worst AL team. MIDSUMMER CLASSIC: Kevin McGonigle, Dillon Dingler need help after All-Star voting update On the mound The Tigers used six relievers. In order: Anderson for 2⅔ innings, right-hander Jacob Waguespack for 1⅓ innings, right-hander Kyle Finnegan for one inning, left-hander Tyler Holton for 1⅔ innings, right-hander Will Vest for 1⅓ innings and left-handed reliever Enmanuel De Jesus for one inning. The three runs were charged to Anderson and Waguespack. Anderson stranded runners on
first and second base in the first inning and a runner on second base in the second inning before the Astros finally scored in the third inning, sparked by a two-out walk to Christian Walker. The Tigers replaced Anderson with Waguespack, who immediately gave up back-to-back home runs on back-to-back pitches to Isaac Paredes (two-run homer, two-strike cutter) and Jose Altuve (solo homer, first-pitch cutter). Those homers trimmed the Tigers’ lead to 5-3. Waguespack could be the latest failed pitching project. The 32-year-old joined the
Tigers from the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday for a player to be named later or cash considerations. He came to the Tigers with a 5.11 ERA over 105⅔ innings in his three-year MLB career, spanning 31 games. So far, Waguespack continues to perform like a pitcher who shouldn’t be in the big leagues. The Tigers got to the finish line with Finnegan in the fifth inning, Holton in the sixth and seventh innings, Vest in the seventh and eighth innings and De Jesus in the
ninth inning. All four of those relievers put zeros on the scoreboard. At the plate The Tigers struck out 18 times, but five home runs – including three from Keith – made the difference. Kevin McGonigle hit a solo home run off right-hander Kai-Wei Teng’s middle-up sinker for a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Keith hit a two-run homer off Teng’s middle-middle sweeper for a 4-0 lead and Spencer Torkelson hit a solo homer off Teng’s middle-middle sweeper for a 5-0 lead, both in
the third inning. The homers from Keith and Torkelson came in back-to-back at-bats Both were poorly executed pitches by Teng. The Tigers extended their lead to 6-3 in the fifth inning. Dillon Dingler hit a triple off right-handed reliever AJ Blubaugh and scored on a passed ball by catcher Christian Vázquez. It helped make up for a big missed opportunity in the fourth inning. That’s when the Tigers stranded runners on the corners with Jahmai Jones (pinch-hitting for Kerry Carpenter) striking out swinging and Riley
Greene striking out swinging, both against left-handed reliever Steven Okert. Jones continues to struggle in his specialist role. KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES: Detroit Tigers sticking with struggling Jahmai Jones – for now Another big swing from Keith separated the Tigers from the Astros with an 8-3 advantage in the eighth inning. This time, he pulled a two-run home run off right-handed reliever Jayden Murray’s middle-middle changeup. Keith connected for his third home run in the ninth inning, pushing a middle-away slider from right-handed reliever
Bryan Abreu to left field for an opposite-field solo homer and a 9-3 lead. Keith has hit four home runs in his past four games – after hitting zero home runs in his first 62 games. His three homers and six RBIs are his most in a game in his three-year MLB career, spanning 351 games. Before the five homers, the Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning without getting a hit. Teng walked McGonigle, walked Greene, hit Dingler and hit Keith. The
second hit-by-pitch occurred with the bases loaded, resulting in the first run of nine runs. Next up: Texas reunion The Tigers and Astros meet again Tuesday (8:10 p.m., Detroit SportsNet) in the second of seven games between the two teams in a 14-day stretch. The pitching matchup for Tuesday’s game: Left-hander Framber Valdez starts for the Tigers, and right-hander Hunter Brown starts for the Astros. There’s familiarity for both pitchers. Valdez pitched for the Astros from 2018-25, winning the World Series in 2022 and throwing
a no-hitter in 2023. The 32-year-old signed a free-agent contract with the Tigers in February 2026, guaranteeing $115 million over three years. Brown, meanwhile, was born in Detroit, grew up as a Tigers fan, attended Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores and pitched at Wayne State University. The 27-year-old is returning to the Astros from a right shoulder strain, which has kept him sidelined since early April. One week after this series, the Astros are scheduled to travel to Comerica Park for a four-game
series against the Tigers, taking place June 25-28. Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, bullpen-only pitching plan, Troy Melton, Gleyber Torres, Colt Keith, Drew Anderson, Jacob Waguespack, Kyle Finnegan, Tyler Holton, Will Vest, Enmanuel De Jesus, Daikin Park