Detroit — The atmosphere inside the Tigers’ locker room at Target Field on July 4 was that of a funeral. No music. No conversation. Just a group of dejected-looking ballplayers trying to pull themselves together after losing five of the first seven games on a road trip that had one city and three games left.
With nine games under .500, the worst season of my career, the only thing missing from that room was a trumpet player playing Taps.
Put away the trumpet.
Since that day, the Tigers have swept the Reds in Cincinnati, won three of four games against American League Central-leading Cleveland and, after a second straight ninth-inning comeback, won two of three games against the National League West-leading Dodgers.
“You have to keep showing up every day with the right attitude,” said rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy, whose pinch-hitter single in the ninth inning Sunday tied the game and preceded a second straight victory over the Dodgers, 4-3. “During that tough time, if you were in our locker room (before games), you wouldn’t know it was a tough time. It was just baseball happening.”
“Just keeping that mentality and going into the room positive every day, knowing that we’re going to come to work every day and continue to put up good at-bats and keep pitchers throwing strikes, and over time, good things happen.”
Trailing 3-2 in the ninth inning Sunday, Zach McKinstry led off with a triple off right-hander Yohan Ramirez.
“It was a curveball in the zone and I was able to touch it,” McKinstry said. “I saw it coming toward the line and I was like, ‘Just stay, just stay.’ Then it hit the ground and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, let’s go,’ and I turned on the burners.”
Manager AJ Hinch had put Malloy in the circle to replace Andy Ibanez before McKinstry’s triple. The only way he could get him back was if the Dodgers brought in a left-handed reliever. They didn’t.
“He’s getting more comfortable in the batter’s box and one of the adjustments he’s made is he’s opened up the whole field,” Hinch said of Malloy. “The situation required him to use the middle of the field and get the ball to the outfield. The fact that he got a hit was a bonus.”
Then came the bunt party. As the Dodgers gathered on the mound, Hinch left the dugout to deliver a message directly to third-base coach Joey Cora’s ear.
“Just to make sure we were on the same page for multiple hitters,” he said. “We just went through some scenarios, things we didn’t want to lose in communication.”
The first was a well-executed safety bunt by Ryan Vilade. Not only did Malloy advance to second base, but Ramirez fielded the ball and everyone was safe. Next up was Wenceel Perez. Ramirez made a good catch but made an ill-advised, hasty throw to third base.
The ball was recovered by third baseman Kiki Hernandez and Malloy raced home.
“Once I know the bunt is in, I know I have to be aggressive,” Malloy said. “Bombi (Perez) hit a good bunt. I just wanted to make sure I got home plate and then go celebrate.”
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Tigers 4, Dodgers 3
MLB STANDINGS
After winning eight of the last 10 games, the Tigers (47-50) are certainly on a positive trend heading into the All-Star break.
“I think things changed when Skubal came out and he was just electric for us,” McKinstry said.
He was talking about All-Star left-hander Tarik Skubal’s 13-strikeout performance in Cincinnati on July 7.
“It was awesome to see how he showed his emotion that day,” McKinstry said. “His emotion rubbed off on everybody, just seeing how much he wanted to win that game.”
The Tigers have mirrored Skubal’s tenacity in these last two series.
“It’s important to remember that the only group that hasn’t been depressed is our guys,” Hinch said. “We’re going to be there and play every day. It’s really easy to say that when you’re on a winning streak like this. But these guys are there every day, no matter what the noise is, whether we’re playing well or losing games.
“These guys really know how to show up and be ready.”
These last two games have been emblematic of the inconsistency and resilience the Tigers have shown in the first half. Especially Saturday, when they trailed by five runs and looked dead in the ninth inning, only to come back to claim their 19th comeback victory.
On Sunday, they got off to a slow start and found themselves down 3-0 before their first at-bat.
“We don’t always execute perfectly,” Hinch joked. “Go watch that first inning again.”
Both teams deployed a bullpen play, and Tigers opener Beau Brieske got the first two outs in seven pitches. By the end of the inning, he had thrown 27 pitches and had three runs to his name.
His troubles began when Perez, the right fielder, misplayed a ball to short right field that was thrown by right-handed hitter Will Smith. Perez appeared to misread the ball at first, then the wind kept blowing it back toward the infield.
The ball hit the inside of his wrist, above his glove, and was scored a double.
Teoscar Hernandez ripped a 2-2 changeup off Brieske for a true RBI double and scored on a single by Andy Pages.
Miguel Rojas then singled into the infield and Pages reached third base after shortstop McKinstry’s throw eluded first baseman Andy Ibanez. Rojas broke for second base and Pages ended up scoring from third base as the Tigers were in the process of scoring Rojas for a run.
That’s not how you draw it.
But things quickly got better. Left-hander Tyler Holton pitched two scoreless innings, then veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda, sent to the bullpen earlier this week, held the Dodgers off the board until the seventh.
“With all these bad results, I decided to turn the page and make a fresh start,” Maeda said through interpreter Daichi Sekizaki.
Maeda looked like a completely different pitcher than the one who had been hit for 15 runs in his last two starts. His velocity was higher on all of his pitches (2.3 mph on his splitter and 2.6 mph on his four-seam fastball). The movement was sharper, especially the splitter.
“It wasn’t because I knew it was going to be a short inning,” he said. “It was more because when things weren’t going well, I was too focused and too aware of the shape of my pitches and how they were breaking. Today, I just focused on going wild and using all my arm action.”
“It leads to sharpness and velocity.”
Maeda allowed just one hit to Shohei Ohtani and struck out five in 3.2 innings. He left the game to cheers from the crowd of 35,159 at Comerica Park.
“Since I joined the Tigers, I haven’t been able to make a positive contribution,” he said. “With the ovation today, it really did me good. I hope to continue pitching like that in the future.”
He also relished his fight against fellow Japanese star Ohtani.
“It’s a special moment,” Maeda said. “He’s a great hitter and I love playing him. And it’s the perfect situation, with two outs and no runners on the field … And thanks to Ohtani, I was able to hit 94 mph (on an adrenaline-charged fastball).”
There was another dramatic moment. It came in the top of the ninth inning. Jason Foley, who finished the eighth inning, gave up two walks to the Dodgers in the ninth. Hinch called on right-hander Alex Faedo to face left-handed hitter Gavin Lux.
Faedo’s changeup is a tough matchup for left-handed hitters, but Faedo ended up walking Lux.
“That’s the best plan,” Hinch shrugged.
Faedo then fell behind right-handed hitter Chris Taylor 3-0.
“I didn’t feel like I was too far off,” Faedo said. “The first two pitches were down, I just pulled them a little bit. Then the breaking ball was good, right off the plate, and I felt like it got me in sync again. I just reminded myself that it’s really hard to hit. And I was going to challenge him and give him my best shot.”
“At least if he beats me, beat me with a punch.”
Faedo got back in the count with two fastballs and then hit Taylor with a slider.
“I’m really proud of our guys, both during those tough times and now during this great time,” Hinch said. “And we still have a long way to go to get to where we want to be.”
And yet, they are much closer than they were 10 days ago.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky