Tampa Bay RaysvsDetroit Tigers
TB 1/DET 4
Things to say
The Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 at Comerica Park.
01
opener
Tigers took it 4-1 at Comerica. Rays never really got going. Detroit kept them to a single run all night.
02
key player
Whoever Detroit ran out there on the mound was locked in — held that Rays order to one run. Got into his stuff early and never let up.
03
hot take
Rays are 78-54 and they get shut down by a sub-.500 club? That's the kind of loss that lingers on a getaway day.
04
deep cut
Tampa's the hotter team on paper by a mile, and they still couldn't scratch across more than one. Bats went quiet through the heart of the order.
05
exit
Rays are still sitting pretty in the standings, so I'm not sweating one game. Curious how they bounce back next series.
The recap
Detroit pulled off a nice little upset here, knocking off a Tampa Bay club that came in 24 games over .500 by a 4-1 count at Comerica. Whoever the Tigers ran out on the mound got into his stuff and kept the Rays' lineup off balance all night, holding that heart of the order to a single run.
The bullpen slammed the door late instead of the manager going to the pen too early, and Detroit just kept the pressure on. For a 62-70 team playing spoiler, that's a big scalp against a legit contender.