00:00In the standings, every victory counts exactly the same, but when you step back and look at
00:06the mental weight of those wins, they are rarely equal in significance. The Detroit Tigers arrived
00:11back at Comerica Park on Thursday night, carrying a heavy burden. They had just endured a three-game
00:16sweep on the road in Minnesota, a difficult stretch made far worse by a frightening outfield
00:22collision that resulted in Parker Meadows being taken to the hospital as the team gathered at
00:27the ballpark on Friday afternoon. The atmosphere was noticeably subdued, and the energy was
00:32understandably low. What unfolded Friday night, however, was exactly the kind of performance
00:38this team desperately needed to reset the tone. Behind a stellar outing from Keiter Montero and
00:44a critical contribution from a key veteran stepping into a new role, the Tigers secured a 2-0 win over
00:50the Miami Marlins. This result was about more than just halting a five-game losing streak,
00:55it was about shifting the entire mood inside the clubhouse. Javier Baez, who launched a vital
01:02solo home run in the fifth inning to double the lead during his first start in center field this
01:07season, addressed that shift after the game. Yeah, for sure, Baez stated, that's not the team we are.
01:14When we get that streak of losing, I don't think we have been playing bad baseball, we just haven't
01:19been really scoring runs. Other than that, we've been playing pretty good. Earlier in the day,
01:24the Tigers officially placed Parker Meadows on the 10-day injured list due to a concussion and a
01:29broken left arm. That news forced a realignment, and Baez became the first part of the solution,
01:35stepping back into a role he filled early last season when Meadows was sidelined by a nerve issue
01:40in his right arm. What started back then, as an emergency adjustment, evolved into a period of
01:45rejuvenation for Baez, who earned an all-star selection last summer while splitting his time between
01:51center field and shortstop, while the club acknowledges this is not a permanent full-time
01:56solution. Manager A.J. Hinch noted that Matt Vierling and the recently recalled Wensiel Perez
02:02will also see action in center. There is a tangible sense that Baez performs at his sharpest when he
02:08moves around the diamond. I don't know, I mean, he had a pretty good game Thursday in Minnesota at
02:13shortstop. Manager A.J. Hinch explained, I know in a lot of ways, I think the moving around keeps him
02:19sharp but I could put him at shortstop every day, and he would be perfectly fine. I just think he's
02:24like a kid again, he likes playing out there, but I don't see an energy boost or a difference in
02:29him,
02:29as much as I see a willing teammate go out and fill a void, that was unfortunately open.
02:34For his part, Baez expressed the team's collective concern regarding Meadows. While embracing the
02:42defensive responsibility, we feel sorry for losing Parker, awful situation with him, hopefully we get him
02:48back as soon as possible. He's a big key for our team, the way he covers back there, Baez said.
02:54But I
02:54feel really good out there, every time I have an off day, I go out there and shag and make
02:59sure I get
02:59some reads out there, nothing different. The Tigers were clinging to a narrow 1-0 lead. When Baez stepped
03:05into the batter's box to lead off the fifth inning against former Tigers pitcher Chris Paddock, Paddock had
03:11relied heavily on sweepers throughout the night, and he attempted to put Baez away. With that same pitch,
03:17on a 2-2 count, Paddock executed a pitch that dove just off the outside edge of the plate,
03:23but with Baez, just off is often still within reach. That's why he's Javi Baez, he's able to
03:30hit pitches out of the zone, Paddock said of the sequence. Guys try to throw out of the zone on
03:34purpose, I wanted that in the left-handed batter's box to see if he'll go at it, but I didn't,
03:40and he's
03:40able to make pitches out of the zone, 101 off the bat, just over the wall. The baseball struck the
03:47very
03:47top of the left-field fence and carried over for a home run, his first since September 28th of last
03:53year. The result on the scoreboard was identical to any other blast, even if the path was unique.
04:00I went to get it out there, finally got it good, Baez added. When Baez patrols center field,
04:06someone else must cover shortstop. On this night, a significant portion of the duty fell to Kevin
04:12McGonigal, who continues to demonstrate that he can handle the demands of the position.
04:16In the fourth inning, McGonigal charged hard into the hole, to field a ground ball off the bat of
04:20Agustin Ramirez, and unleashed a long, accurate throw from the outfield grass, to a fully extended
04:26Spencer Torkelson at first base, to record the inning's initial out. He came off the field,
04:31and he was super pumped, Hinch observed. Those are all firsts for him. When you think about it,
04:36the evening's only real defensive miscue came on a play that might have been a case of miscommunication.
04:41McGonigal tracked a Connor Norby fly ball, deep into shallow left field, while Riley Green,
04:46appeared to get a late read, leaving an open pocket of grass, for the baseball to drop safely
04:51for a double. That hit was essentially a hard luck blip, on an otherwise dominant night. For
04:56Keiter Montero, the young right-hander pitched around that fifth inning double, by striking out
05:00Javier Sonoya, on a particularly sharp slider. Montero proceeded to strike out three consecutive
05:05of Marlins batters, bridging the fifth and sixth.
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