They Called Him "Tater": Gage Workman Powers Tigers To End 5-game Losing Streak

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Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak

Tigers needed some elements outside of “pitching chaos” to snap their five-game losing streak Sunday night.

They got them from Gage Workman, a Royals mistake in center field and enough offense to survive a bullpen-driven game in a 6-3 win over Kansas City. Detroit improved to 19-22 on the season and avoided being swept at Kauffman Stadium, a needed result after a rough stretch that included injuries, late-game issues and too many quiet offensive nights.

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The first useful swing came from Hao-Yu Lee in the second inning. Lee tripled to right field to score Wenceel Pérez and give Detroit a 1-0 lead. The Tigers added two more later in the inning when Matt Vierling doubled to left-center, scoring Lee and Zack Short. Kyle Isbel’s fielding error allowed Vierling to advance to third and helped turn the inning into a three-run frame. Detroit finished with six runs, nine hits and no errors, while Kansas City committed the one costly mistake in center field.

Kansas City did respond. The Royals scored twice in the third on a Vinnie Pasquantino RBI single and a Carter Jensen sacrifice fly. Maikel Garcia tied the game in the fourth with an RBI single after Jac Caglianone doubled. By the middle innings, the Tigers were back in familiar territory: a close game, a bullpen game and very little margin for error.

That is where Workman changed the night.

In the sixth inning, Spencer Torkelson singled with one out. Workman, hitting for Short, followed by driving a Nick Mears pitch out to right field for a two-run home run. It was his first homer with Detroit and it gave the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

Workman joined Hao-Yu Lee and Kevin McGonigle as Tigers who made their major league debut this season and homered. For Detroit, that has become one of the more interesting early-season developments. The Tigers have been forced to use more of their young depth, but in this case, Workman gave them exactly what they needed in the moment: one swing that changed the game.

The Tigers added another run in the seventh when Pérez singled to center to score Riley Greene, giving Detroit a three-run cushion. Detroit finished with six runs, 10 hits and no errors. Kansas City had eight hits and one error, with the mistake in center field helping Detroit build its early lead. The Tigers also got two RBIs from Vierling, an RBI triple from Lee and the insurance hit from Pérez.

The pitching side still required a group effort. Brenan Hanifee opened and recorded two outs. Brant Hurter followed with 1.1 scoreless innings. Drew Anderson allowed three runs over two innings, but Eider De Jesus gave Detroit 2.1 scoreless innings behind him. Kyle Finnegan handled the ninth, allowing one hit and one walk without giving up a run.

For a team that had lost five straight, the result was more important than how clean it looked. Detroit did not dominate the game. Kansas City erased the early 3-0 lead and tied it by the fourth inning. But the Tigers answered in the sixth, added on in the seventh and got enough from the bullpen to close out a 6-3 win.

That is a useful way to leave Kansas City. Detroit improved to 19-22 and now heads to New York for a three-game series against the Mets beginning Tuesday at Citi Field. Jack Flaherty is listed as Detroit’s probable starter for the opener, with Freddy Peralta scheduled for New York.

The Tigers are still trying to find steadier footing, but Sunday gave them a needed reset before the next series. Workman’s swing will get most of the attention, and it should. But the win also came from Lee’s early triple, Vierling’s two-run double, Pérez’s insurance single and a bullpen that held Kansas City scoreless over the final five innings.

For one night, Detroit had enough outside of “pitching chaos” to turn a close game into a win.

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