The Detroit Tigers finally got their power surge Friday, and it came from an unlikely source. Dillon Dingler crushed a two-run homer in the fourth inning, giving Detroit just its second long ball of the season in a 4-0 win over the Cardinals at Comerica Park.
The blast was massive – 430 feet, the longest of Dingler’s career. More importantly, it doubled the Tigers’ home run total after eight games.
That’s not a typo. The Tigers entered Friday with one home run – the fewest in MLB. Dingler hit that one too, back on Opening Day.
It’s been a power drought that’s highlighted just how much the Tigers are struggling offensively. Colt Keith was on the bench despite leading the team with a .364 average. Kerry Carpenter came close Friday when his line drive caromed off the right-field wall, but the trajectory was too low.
Keith nearly went yard Wednesday when his drive hit the top of the wall at Chase Field. Close doesn’t count in baseball, though the Tigers desperately need something to break loose.
Where’s the Production?
The real concern is what’s happening with Detroit’s expected run producers. Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter entered Friday a combined 10-for-67 with three doubles and eight RBI. That’s brutal production from guys who should be driving the offense.
Manager A.J. Hinch tried shaking things up in the batting order Friday, and at least got a win out of it. The sold-out crowd of 45,008 at Comerica Park finally had something to cheer about.
“A lot of guys in this clubhouse have been through multiple, multiple seasons and they know how the flows of the season go. I don’t think anybody in here is panicking. We’re all pretty confident that we’re going to turn it around and get back on track.”
Keith’s staying positive, which is probably the right approach eight games into a 162-game season. The Tigers ranked 11th in runs scored last year despite their September collapse, so there’s talent here.
But right now? Hinch is counting on his big bats to eventually come around.
In the meantime, at least they’ve got Dingler doing the heavy lifting. Sometimes that’s how baseball works – you get production from unexpected places until the stars remember how to hit. The Tigers just hope it doesn’t take too much longer for that adjustment to happen.
