Daily News 19

Tag: Target Field

  • John Peck, Tigers’ No. 20 Prospect, Called Up

    John Peck, Tigers’ No. 20 Prospect, Called Up

    The Detroit Tigers have promoted infield prospect John Peck from Triple-A Toledo, adding another promising player from their farm system to the Major League roster. Peck was in the dugout Monday for the Tigers’ game against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis.

    Manager A.J. Hinch said Peck, ranked Detroit’s No. 20 prospect by MLB Pipeline, would not start Monday. However, he is expected to start at shortstop Tuesday and Wednesday at Target Field.

    “We obviously really like him defensively, and we liked how he’s developed offensively over the last couple of seasons,” Hinch said.

    To create room for Peck on the Major League roster, Detroit optioned outfielder Corey Julks to Triple-A Toledo.

    John Peck’s path to the Tigers

    The Tigers selected Peck in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Pepperdine. He played under former Tigers shortstop and then-Waves assistant coach Danny Worth, who played an important role in preparing him for a professional baseball career.

    Peck now follows Worth into Detroit’s infield after putting together two impressive seasons in the Tigers’ farm system. His 2025 campaign has been particularly notable despite being shortened by an injury.

    “He’s a mature guy with just the way he goes about his actions and his business,” Hinch said. “I just told him today he doesn’t have to be perfect. He’s seen some of his former teammates come up and survive the transition. So it should make him believe before he has to go out and do it.

    “And I told him he’s here to stay. I want him to get some time on the field and coming off the bench in some games, just get himself used to this level because he has the skills to play reliable defense, show a little bit of power, and see where this opportunity takes him.”

    Peck’s minor-league performance

    Peck made a strong impression during Spring Training as a non-roster invitee to the Tigers’ Major League camp. He carried that momentum into Double-A Erie, where he posted a .285/.328/.511 slash line with 10 home runs, 17 doubles, three triples, 44 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 58 games.

    Detroit promoted Peck to Triple-A Toledo on June 23, but he played in only two games for the Mud Hens before landing on the injured list. He returned to Toledo earlier this week after a rehabilitation assignment and went 7-for-14 with one double, one RBI, three walks and three stolen bases.

    Peck has played primarily at shortstop, including all four of his games with Toledo this past week, but he is capable of playing throughout the infield. His reliable infield defense could place him alongside fellow 2023 draftee Kevin McGonigle and Javier Báez in Detroit’s shortstop mix.

    Tigers continue promoting prospects

    The Tigers have added several prospects to their Major League roster this summer, including top prospect Max Clark, infielder Hao-Yu Lee, outfielders Ben Malgeri and Brett Callahan, and catcher Eduardo Valencia.

    Clark and McGonigle were first-round picks, Peck was selected in the seventh round, and Callahan was taken in the 13th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Pitching call-up Andrew Sears, selected in the 10th round, was also part of that draft class.

  • Spencer Torkelson’s Home Run Helps Tigers Defeat Twins in 12-Inning Thriller

    Spencer Torkelson’s Home Run Helps Tigers Defeat Twins in 12-Inning Thriller

    The Detroit Tigers outlasted the Minnesota Twins in a 12-inning battle Wednesday, winning 11-6 at Target Field after Spencer Torkelson delivered a decisive two-run home run in the 12th inning.

    With the score tied 6-6, Torkelson led off the inning by launching the second pitch from Tommy Nance into the left-field bleachers for his 21st home run of the season. The Tigers then loaded the bases with two outs before Javier Báez cleared them with a double down the right-field line.

    Torkelson’s homer lifts Tigers in extra innings

    Detroit’s victory came after Kyle Finnegan allowed the tying run to score in the 11th inning. Finnegan stranded the potential winning run at third by striking out Kody Clemens and inducing Ryan Jeffers to ground out to end the frame.

    The Tigers had taken a 5-2 lead before their bullpen surrendered the advantage in the eighth inning. Five of the first six Minnesota batters reached base against Drew Sommers and Kenley Jansen. Royce Lewis followed with a two-run single to tie the game, but Jansen and Tyler Holton each struck out a batter to leave two runners in scoring position.

    After Max Clark opened the 11th with a double that scored automatic runner Ben Malgeri from second, the Twins responded in the bottom half of the inning with Luke Keaschall’s RBI single.

    Detroit gets key contributions from rookies

    Starter Drew Anderson allowed one earned run over 5 2/3 innings, while John Peck, Detroit’s No. 20 prospect, recorded his first two Major League hits and drove in three runs. Clark doubled three times and scored three runs.

    Anderson faced early trouble when he clipped the jersey of Twins leadoff hitter Keaschall. Two batters later, first baseman Colt Keith could not handle a Clemens grounder, putting runners on first and second with one out.

    That brought Jeffers to the plate after he had hit three home runs against the Tigers over the previous two nights. Anderson won the matchup by getting Jeffers to ground a changeup to shortstop, where Peck started an inning-ending double play.

    Peck then made an impact offensively in the second inning. Eduardo Valencia led off with a single, and Clark doubled one out later. Peck crushed a Dean Kremer cutter to the base of the wall in left-center field for a two-run double.

    The Tigers added two more runs in the fifth before Peck provided additional insurance with a single that scored Clark, who had doubled to lead off the sixth.

    Twins rally but fall short

    Anderson ran into another threat in the fourth inning after walking Clemens to begin the frame. Jeffers followed immediately with an RBI double, putting the tying run on second base with nobody out. Anderson retired the next three hitters, striking out two of them, to end the danger.

    Minnesota cut the deficit to 5-2 in the sixth when Kevin McGonigle’s two-out throwing error allowed an unearned run to score. The Twins later tied the game in the eighth but could not produce another big hit with runners on base.

    After dropping the first two games of the series by a combined 26-3 score, Detroit secured a much-needed win and gained momentum heading into a four-game weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians.

    Source: www.mlb.com

  • Aaron Judge Hits First Home Run Since Returning from Injured List

    Aaron Judge Hits First Home Run Since Returning from Injured List

    MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Judge ended his home run drought in emphatic fashion Monday night, launching a three-run blast in the eighth inning to power the New York Yankees to an 8-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

    Judge Breaks Through After IL Return

    The long ball marked Judge’s first home run since returning from the injured list on Sept. 8. The Yankees captain had missed three months while recovering from a stress fracture in his right ribcage. In six games and 21 at-bats since his activation, Judge entered Monday’s contest hitting just .176 (3-for-17) with nine strikeouts and a walk.

    Vintage Power Display Against Minter

    The breakthrough came against Braves reliever A.J. Minter. After starting the night 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a double-play grounder, Judge turned on a 2-2 cutter and deposited it deep into the second deck. The three-run shot extended New York’s lead to 7-2 and showcased the classic Judge power profile.

    According to Statcast data, the home run carried 397 feet with a 36-degree launch angle — a textbook moonshot that left the bat at elite exit velocity.

    Yankees Offense Supports Strong Outing

    The win improves New York’s position as they navigate the final stretch of the regular season. Judge’s return to form provides a significant boost for a lineup that has awaited his full integration back into the heart of the order.

  • Tigers Salvage Win to Avoid Sweep Against Twins

    The Detroit Tigers survived another late collapse before breaking through in the 12th inning for an 11-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Wednesday, Sept. 2. The win ended Detroit’s three-game losing streak and salvaged the series.

    Spencer Torkelson delivered the decisive blow with his 21st home run, a two-run shot into the second deck in left field. His homer sparked a five-run inning and marked his first home run since July 29, when he hit an 11th-inning walk-off against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park.

    Twins right-hander Tommy Nance unraveled after Torkelson’s homer. The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs on a single, an intentional walk and a hit batter, with John Peck taking a pitch off his helmet. Javier Báez then cleared the bases with a three-run bloop double.

    Tigers squander late lead before winning in extra innings

    Detroit carried a 5-2 lead into the eighth inning, but Minnesota rallied to tie the game. The Twins used a walk and a hit batter to score three runs and send the game to extra innings.

    The Tigers regained the lead in the 11th when Max Clark lined a bloop double down the left-field line to score automatic runner Ben Malgeri. Clark had already doubled twice earlier in the game, but Detroit could not advance him with no outs, leaving little margin for Kyle Finnegan, who had thrown 25 pitches Tuesday night.

    Luke Keaschall tied the game again with a line-drive single to right that scored Minnesota’s automatic runner. Finnegan then managed to get through the inning, despite the pressure, and pitched a clean 12th to secure the victory.

    The Tigers were running short on pitchers. Kenley Jansen and Tyler Holton handled the eighth and ninth innings, while Jacob Waguespack, who threw 21 pitches Tuesday night, recorded the final out of the ninth. He stranded the automatic runner at second by striking out Royce Lewis and getting Kaelen Culpepper to fly out near the right-field wall.

    Detroit’s bullpen faced another challenge in the eighth. Left-hander Drew Sommers loaded the bases after singles by Brooks Lee and Josh Bell and a hit batter, Kody Clemens. Jansen entered and walked pinch-hitter Victor Caratini to force in a run.

    Lewis followed with a 97.9-mph ground ball that shortstop John Peck could not field, allowing two runs to score and eliminating the Tigers’ lead. It was Detroit’s MLB-leading 29th blown save.

    Tigers rookies power offensive breakout

    Detroit’s young players helped put the team in position for a much-needed win after two brutal losses to open the series.

    Peck, 24, making his second start, recorded his first major-league hit with a scorched two-run double to left-center in the second inning. The ball left his bat at 109.9 mph and traveled 400 feet to the wall. Peck added an RBI single in the sixth.

    Clark, 21, doubled three times and scored twice. Catcher Eduardo Valencia, 26, singled, doubled and scored. His single had a 106-mph exit velocity and bounced off the wall too hard for him to reach second, while his 103.8-mph double missed a home run by only a few feet.

    Second baseman Hao-Yu Lee, 23, singled home third baseman Kevin McGonigle, 22. Malgeri, 26, had two singles and scored twice. All of them are rookies who debuted this season.

    Riley Greene, 25, also contributed with an RBI double. The offensive performance came after manager AJ Hinch rested veteran catcher Dillon Dingler, Gleyber Torres and Báez at the start of the game.

    “I think the young guys are holding up fine,” manager AJ Hinch said.

    Dingler, who had a rare night off, agreed.

    “A lot of these guys are really mature,” he said. “They go about their business the right way. There’s no real governing we need to do.”

    Hinch explained the lineup changes before the game following Detroit’s combined 26-3 defeat in the first two games of the series.

    “We’re looking for better performance,” Hinch said before the game. “We’ve got to play better if we want to win, and we do want to win. These guys are working hard, but it doesn’t feel good to get blown out like that.”

    Drew Anderson keeps Twins off balance

    After Minnesota battered young Detroit starters Jackson Jobe and Troy Melton in the first two games, Hinch turned to veteran Drew Anderson.

    Making his sixth start since moving from the bullpen, Anderson kept the Twins off balance with a mix of changeups and curveballs built around well-located 94-95 mph four-seam fastballs.

    Anderson worked around several walks and hit Keaschall twice, but he allowed only one run through five innings. The run came on an RBI double by Ryan Jeffers, who continued to damage Tigers pitching in the series. Jeffers finished the series 5-for-12 with three home runs and seven RBIs.

    Anderson’s changeup was particularly effective, generating eight swings and misses on 22 swings along with six called strikes.

    He appeared ready to complete a clean sixth inning, but with two outs, McGonigle made an errant throw to first on a routine ground ball. Bell followed with a single, and Trevor Larnach’s RBI double chased Anderson from the game.

    Veteran right-hander Tyler Kinley, working with a sharp slider, stranded two runners in the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh.