Detroit – The Tigers’ offense found the pressure valve, opened it up wide and blew out some pent-up steam.
After scratching and scuffling and producing very little the last three games, they busted out Friday and put an 8-0 hurt on the Houston Astros, squaring the series at Comerica Park.
The eight runs came in a two-inning rampage against right-hander Spencer Arrighetti.
They used Arrighetti’s wildness (five walks) to activate the running game that had been dormant most of this week. (Can’t run the bases without runners on base.) And they knocked a few balls into the seats.
It was the running game that broke the seal. James Outman walked to lead off the third and he scampered to third on a single by Kevin McGonigle.
Arrighetti struck out Dillon Dingler for the second out, but McGonigle broke for second base on the pitch. Catcher Yainer Diaz’s throw went into centerfield and Outman scored.
Kerry Carpenter, who struck out in the first inning swinging late on a fastball, followed with his 11th home run, a two-run shot. Arrighetti threw him another fastball and Carpenter detonated it. It left his bat at 105 mph and flew 412 feet deep into the stands in right field.
Arrighetti didn’t record an out in the fourth.
Colt Keith led off with his fifth homer, a line drive off the foul pole in right. He wasn’t sure if it was gone or not so he sprinted around the bases.
After Zach McKinstry walked and Matt Vierling singled, Outman got another meaty fastball from Arrighetti and hit it 407 feet into the seats in right.
McGonigle created the fifth and final run of the inning with his wheels. He walked and stole second, his 11th steal this season. He scored on a bloop single to center by Dingler. Not only did McGonigle get an expert read on the ball, his sprint speed from second to home was 27.7 feet per second.
Blazing.
And it earned Dingler his career-high 58th RBI.
The run support was welcomed by Tigers’ starter Keider Montero, but much more than he needed.
Montero, who has been a rock in the Tigers’ rotation, pitched seven, five-hit, shutout innings. He didn’t allow a runner in scoring position until the sixth inning. He effectively kept the Astros off the barrel with a clever mix of knuckle-curveballs, sliders and changeups off his sinker and four-seam fastball.
He got nine ground-ball outs, including two double-plays. The Astros put 22 balls in play with a soft average exit velocity of 83.1 mph.
Montero lowered his ERA to 3.39.
This will be updated…
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers’ offense explodes in 8-0 victory over Astros
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