The Detroit Tigers blasted the Philadelphia Phillies 10-2 Friday night, extending their incredible winning streak to six straight games. This team is absolutely on fire, winning nine of their last ten and boasting the best record in all of baseball since June 1 with a staggering 22-12 run. It wasn't always easy, though, with the game locked at a nail-biting 2-2 through five innings, but then the offense turned on the jets.
Sixth Inning Explosion and Unstoppable Power
For five innings, Phillies starter Aaron Nola kept the Tigers' bats mostly quiet, even though his 5.87 ERA and career-worst numbers usually mean trouble for opponents. He was pitching backwards, leaning on his secondary stuff like his knuckle-curve, getting six whiffs on 12 swings, and his changeup, with five whiffs on nine swings. But in the bottom of the sixth, against lefty reliever Tim Mayza, everything changed. Riley Greene walked, then pinch-hitter Matt Vierling walked. Rookie Eduardo Valencia, who Nola had punched out twice earlier, stepped up and laced a single to left-center, breaking the 2-2 tie! Zach McKinstry followed with a perfectly executed safety squeeze bunt to score Vierling. Then James Outman absolutely blistered a two-run triple to the gap in right-center. Mayza balked, and Outman trotted home to cap off a massive five-run inning. But wait, there was more thunder in the seventh! Against right-hander Max Lazar, Colt Keith launched his eighth homer, a 415-footer deep into the seats. Greene drew another walk, and then Spencer Torkelson lined his 16th homer over the wall in left-center. Remember Kevin McGonigle's oppo-blast 414-foot shot in the third that put the Tigers up 2-1 briefly? That was his eighth homer! These bats are legit, hitting an MLB-most 63 homers in 34 games since June 1. That's a ridiculous power surge!Flaherty Holds It Down While Defense Shines
Tigers starter Jack Flaherty wasn't as efficient as Nola, but he was just as effective, putting up another quality start. He allowed only two runs and two hits across six innings. Both of those runs and hits came courtesy of former Tiger Derek Hill, who was a late scratch replacement. Hill blasted a 427-foot homer in the third and poked an RBI single in the fourth after Flaherty loaded the bases with two walks and a hit-batsman. On the defensive end, Zach McKinstry made an outstanding pick on a ground ball headed into right field to end the fourth. And Riley Greene in left field was an absolute wizard. He took a hit away from Trea Turner with a sliding catch in the rain in the fifth and then robbed Alec Bohm of a double in the sixth with a backhanded grab at the wall in the left-center gap. That's elite stuff! With McGonigle, Greene, Dillon Dingler, and Justin Verlander heading to the All-Star festivities next week, this team has all the momentum in the world. Who can stop this red-hot squad right now?This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.