Torkelson ends – Spencer Torkelson’s first homer of the season—after a hard-hit first at-bat—helped Detroit rebound and beat Milwaukee 5-2 at Comerica Park.
Detroit — The moment Spencer Torkelson finally connected, it felt like the payoff for patience. Even earlier, he had already proven he could hit it hard: his first at-bat came off the bat at 106.2 mph before it was swallowed by the glove.
“Obviously, it’s 0-for-1,” Torkelson said, but the tone was steady.. “Just hit it harder.” Two innings later. with Riley Greene aboard. Torkelson did exactly that—driving a 106.4 mph line that carried 400 feet. clearing the bullpen roof and going over the wall to flip a tight game in the Tigers’ favor.
It was his 88th plate appearance of the season. and when the ball landed among the sounds of Comerica Park—right into the Little Caesars glove before it caromed off a fan—there was a release in the Tigers’ dugout.. No free pizza, but plenty of belief.. Torkelson, laughing at the absurdity of it all, still framed the moment as something he expected eventually.. “They even made it bigger and we still haven’t hit it.. It’ll happen,” he said.
That bounce-back matters as much as the homer itself.. Detroit had been battered the night before in a 12-4 loss. and Milwaukee arrived the same way they’ve made a reputation for—aggressive. intent on forcing rhythm changes on defense and pitching.. The Tigers responded by tightening execution and matching that energy on both sides of the ball. turning a quick. emotional reset into a cleaner. more controlled win.
Manager AJ Hinch summed it up in plain terms: baseball doesn’t promise perfection, but it demands presence.. After an embarrassing previous game. the Tigers showed they could take the lesson. come back. and play the way they’re supposed to.. Hinch’s message wasn’t just about one outing—it was about what comes next. including the possibility of winning the series with Tarik Skubal pitching tomorrow.
The foundation of Wednesday night’s turnaround started on the mound with Casey Mize.. He allowed a run and three hits in six innings. striking out seven and keeping Milwaukee from building anything sustained early.. Mize lowered his ERA to 2.51. and just as importantly. he did it with a clear plan—starting fast. using multiple pitches to attack the zone. and earning swing-and-miss when Milwaukee tried to reach for a better outcome.
What made it especially effective was the balance of his arsenal.. Mize’s first innings included punch-outs with each of his primary looks—splitter. four-seamer. slider. and sinker—followed by controlled sequencing that kept contact mostly softer.. Milwaukee. which tends to be difficult to strike out. put the ball in play 13 times and managed an average exit velocity of 85.7 mph.. That’s the kind of stat line that tends to turn “close” innings into innings where a team feels ahead of the count. even when the score is tight.
Catcher Jake Rogers played a role in making that plan feel seamless.. Rogers has repeatedly worked as a partner to pitchers who can vary pace and shape. and he described Mize as fun to catch when he attacks.. With Mize mixing even the occasional slow, sweeping slider, Milwaukee hitters spent a lot of time reacting rather than anticipating.
Detroit’s offense didn’t rely on one swing, either.. It leaned into baserunning pressure and timely at-bats.. In the bottom of the fifth. Javier Báez singled to lead off. and rookie Kevin McGonigle battled right-hander Chad Patrick through a long sequence—eventually fouling off multiple pitches before turning the at-bat into a wall ball.. Báez. already in motion. scored after sprinting hard through the chaos of a play that almost didn’t unfold the way everyone expected.
For a fan, it’s the kind of play that feels like pure hustle. For a team, it becomes a reminder: aggressive baserunning turns marginal moments into runs. Hinch even highlighted it with a grin, noting he’s seen Báez sprint plenty—but not usually with the result that Báez had to score from first.
Kerry Carpenter later added insurance with his fifth home run in the bottom of the eighth. extending the Tigers’ advantage and changing the pressure on Milwaukee’s final stretch.. Kenley Jansen then faced a tense finish after Milwaukee loaded the bases in the ninth.. Jansen walked two batters and required a mound visit break to reset his rhythm. but he ultimately got Brice Turang to bounce out to first—earning his fifth save.
The final score, 5-2, tells the story in numbers, but the bigger takeaway is how Detroit arrived and responded.. The Tigers didn’t just win; they corrected the emotional swing from the previous night. turned hard contact into results. and made key plays—on the mound. behind the plate. and on the basepaths—when the game demanded it.. With Skubal on deck. the question now shifts from “can they bounce back?” to whether they can keep that momentum long enough to take the series.