DETROIT -- The Tigers returned home Wednesday night reeling from the combination of a series sweep in Minnesota and a devastating outfield collision that left Parker Meadows in the hospital. Their mood was still subdued as they reported to Comerica Park Friday afternoon. They got a much-needed boost Friday night from Keider Montero and two of the players who are key to filling in for Meadows.
While Montero spun six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, aided by an acrobatic play from Kevin McGonigle at shortstop, Javier Báez – making his first start in center field since last September – hit his first homer of the season, helping end Detroit’s five-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over the Marlins at Comerica Park.
Hours after the Tigers placed Meadows on the 10-day injured list with a concussion and a broken left arm, Báez became the first part of the replacement plan, reprising the role he filled early last season while Meadows was sidelined by a nerve issue in his right arm. What began as an emergency plan last year became a path to rejuvenation for Báez, who earned an All-Star selection last summer while bouncing between center and short. It’s not a full-time solution – Matt Vierling and just-recalled Wenceel Pérez will also see time in center – but there’s a real thought that Báez plays at his best when he’s seeing time there.
The Tigers and Montero were clinging to a 1-0 lead when Báez led off the fifth inning against former Tiger Chris Paddack, who fed him a heavy diet of sweepers and tried to finish him off with the same. Paddack put a 2-2 sweeper just off the plate but not far enough; Báez connected solidly enough to send a line drive over the left-field fence for his first home run since last Sept. 28.
When Báez plays center, of course, somebody else has to play shortstop. A good share of those starts will go to McGonigle, who has split time between short and third but continues to show enough at the former to believe he can handle it. In case there was any doubt, he went deep into the hole for an Agustín Ramírez ground ball and unleashed a throw from the left-field grass that reached an outstretched Spencer Torkelson at first base in time for the first out of the fourth inning.
The only real defensive miscue came on a play that nearly brought three fielders together. McGonigle continued to pursue a Connor Norby fly ball into shallow left as Riley Greene and Báez closed in. Greene, who was on the other end of the Meadows collision Thursday, backed off as McGonigle gave way, leaving open space for the ball to drop for a one-out double in the fifth.
Montero pitched around the hard-luck double, fanning Javier Sanoja on a nasty slider to keep the Marlins at bay. Montero struck out three consecutive Marlins from the fifth inning into the sixth, giving him seven strikeouts for the night against just two hits and a walk in his second start filling in for the injured Justin Verlander.