​The Detroit Tigers slugged their way to a series-opening win.With home runs from catcher Dillon Dingler and center fielder Max Clark, the Tigers beat the Colorado Rockies, 6-2, on Friday, Sept. 11, at Comerica Park in Detroit. The win brings the Tigers to 68-79 on the season, with Detroit still mathematically alive in the playoff chase but facing less than 1% odds to make the postseason.Dingler had the biggest swing of the night, smacking a two-run home run in the sixth inning that gave Detroit a 4-1 lead. It was Dingler’s 27th home run and 87th RBI of the season, as he leads the Tigers in both categories.Left fielder Riley Greene gave the Tigers the lead earlier in the sixth inning with a two-out, RBI stand-up triple that bounced off the wall in center field and scored designated hitter Gleyber Torres from first base. It was Greene’s second of three hits on the night, as the slugger leads all Tigers in multi-hit games in 2026 with 38; he finished a home run short of the cycle.Tigers starter Framber Valdez notched his 16th quality start of the season, allowing one unearned run over six innings while giving up six hits, walking two and striking out two. He escaped a wild fifth inning that included three Rockies hits, six baserunners and two defensive outs at home recorded by Dingler.INJURY NEWS: Jack Flaherty to pitch sim game, Justin Verlander bullpen on SaturdayThe win moved the Tigers to within six games of the third and final American League wild-card berth, occupied by the Cleveland Guardians (who played late on Friday).At the plate: Late-inning surgeTigers bats didn’t show much early on, with a Greene single and a Clark walk the only baserunners Detroit put on in the first four innings. Rockies rookie Mason Adams, making his fourth career start, struck out the side in the first inning and struck out four of the first five batters he faced. Clark got the Tigers on the board with a one-out solo home run off Adams in the fifth inning, tying the game at 1-1 with his third home run of the season. And though Detroit then put the go-ahead runners on with a walk from shortstop John Peck and a walk from right fielder Zach McKinstry, second baseman Javier Báez grounded into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play. Greene’s triple in the sixth inning flew 420 feet off the center field wall and would have been a home run in 26 of 30 MLB ballparks. And though Dingler’s home run in the next at-bat fell 12 feet shorter than Greene’s hit, it would’ve cleared the walls in all 30 parks per Statcast.NO DOUBT ABOUT IT 🛎️ pic.twitter.com/RIAstR9RXy— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 12, 2026Clark added the fifth run in the sixth inning with his legs, reaching first base on a hit by pitch, stealing second base, and then advancing to third and home on two wild pitches. Greene’s RBI double in the eighth inning scored first baseman Spencer Torkelson from first base and gave the Tigers their sixth and final run of the game. MORE: Detroit Tigers’ aggressive