Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run home run in the second inning, and Kerry Carpenter added an RBI single in the third, helping the Detroit Tigers win their sixth game in a row with a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.
“We’re finding different ways to win,” Torkelson said. “We’re a versatile team. One night it might be the pitching staff, another night we get a couple bloopers to fall and sometimes it is a blast.”
The teams had to wait through a long rain delay at the start for the second night in a row. This time, after a delay of 1 hour and 50 minutes, the first pitch happened at 8:30 p.m.
The Tigers are now two games above .500 at 68-66 for the first time since May 7, when they were 19-17.
“We are obviously in a much better place than we’ve been for quite a while, and we’ve earned it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “But that doesn’t help us win tomorrow. I have to keep everyone grounded and try to get them to play another game like we did today.”
Los Angeles (54-79) lost its fifth straight game and has lost 13 of its last 15 games.
“We played a better game tonight, but we just didn’t put any runs on the board,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “They earned their three runs and we earned our two, but that’s not enough.”
Tigers opener Mason Englert, making his first major league appearance since June 24, pitched two scoreless innings before being replaced by Kenta Maeda.
Maeda (3-6) gave up two unearned runs on four hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
“I was able to mix in all my pitches,” Maeda said through an interpreter. “It helped to have a lead — I just went out there and leaned on that.”
Beau Brieske then pitched two scoreless innings, and Jason Foley finished the game with the ninth inning to earn his 19th save.
