​The Detroit Tigers exploded for a big inning and then kept the pressure on with more in a follow-up surge, delivering a commanding offensive display at Comerica Park. Thanks largely to a five-run sixth inning, Detroit defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 10-2 in the series opener on Friday, July 10, extending its winning streak to six and piling up a ninth win in its last 10 games.
Most of the damage came after Phillies starter Aaron Nola departed. Left-handed reliever Tim Mayza surrendered the go-ahead RBI single to Eduardo Vasquez? (the designated hitter for Detroit) — note: the original text lists Eduardo Valencia as the hitter, not Vasquez — and then Zach McKinstry produced a run-scoring safety squeeze from second base, reaching on Mayza’s throwing error, to give Detroit a lead. James Outman followed with a two-run triple, and a run-scoring balk, with catcher Jake Rogers due up, capped the rally in the sixth. Of the eight Tigers batters who came to the plate in the sixth, five crossed home, despite the frame yielding only two hits.
Colt Keith added a solo homer to start the seventh, and Spencer Torkelson belted a two-run shot two batters later, pushing Detroit’s run total into double digits for the sixth time this season. The late outburst backed a solid start from Jack Flaherty, who yielded two runs over six innings in what was his second quality start of the season. With the win, Detroit improves to 44-50 heading into the All-Star break with two games remaining before the break.
In another highlight, Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle, a rookie from the Philadelphia suburbs, delivered a two-run homer in the third inning, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. He powered a 3-1 fastball into the left-center-field bullpen for his eighth home run of the season, his second going to the opposite field.
Valencia, who homered in his first MLB plate appearance on Thursday, July 9, made his first start on Friday but struggled early, fanning in his first two at-bats. With one out and two runners aboard in the bottom of the sixth, Valencia delivered the go-ahead RBI, placing Detroit ahead 3-2 and setting the stage for the offensive deluge that followed.
The sequence after Valencia’s hit was rapid-fire. McKinstry’s RBI hit was followed by a sacrifice squeeze, scoring Matt Vierling from third as Mayza’s throw allowed first baseman Bryce Harper to be the one from the bag, tying and then giving Detroit the advantage. Outman’s two-run triple arrived next, his second of the season, and a Mayza balk with Rogers at the plate allowed Outman to come home from third. Rogers continued to swing a hot bat, drawing a walk and scoring in the third inning and adding a single in the fifth to stretch his on-base streak to eight straight plate appearances; the streak would end later in the game.
This performance came despite the Tigers taking only a handful of hits in that pivotal sixth inning, underscoring Detroit’s knack for manufacturing runs through timely hitting, misplays, and aggressive baserunning. The result secured a lopsided victory and kept Detroit in good footing as the team heads toward the All-Star break.