Greene, McGonigle Power Detroit Past Minnesota 5-4
Riley Greene went 3-for-4 with a 417-foot home run and 2 RBI to anchor a Detroit win that looked comfortable until it suddenly wasn't. The Tigers held on 5-4 after Minnesota cut a three-run deficit to one in the sixth, making the final out feel a lot harder to earn than the scoreboard suggests.
Detroit seized control early and never fully let go, though Minnesota made them sweat for every inch of it. The Tigers trailed 1-0 after Keaschall scored on a fielder's choice in the first, but Kevin McGonigle answered immediately with a 375-foot homer to right to tie it. Detroit then turned the second inning into a two-run windfall — McKinstry scored on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, and then a throwing error by Minnesota first baseman Lewis allowed Clark to score on a McGonigle fielder's choice, pushing the lead to 3-1. Minnesota's defense handed Detroit a gift, and Detroit took it without hesitation.
The Twins chipped away but couldn't close the gap fast enough. Trevor Larnach pulled Minnesota to 3-2 with a 351-foot shot to right in the fourth, but Greene answered in the fifth with the biggest swing of the night — a 417-foot blast to right that scored Torres and pushed Detroit back to a 5-2 cushion. On the pitching side, the story of the night was the workload split: Joe Ryan and Connor Prielipp each threw exactly 4.0 innings for Minnesota, combining for 12 strikeouts, while Troy Melton went 5.2 innings for Detroit, allowing 7 hits and 4 earned runs before giving way to Jacob Waguespack, who threw a clean inning.
Minnesota's most dangerous moment came in the sixth, when Walker Jenkins doubled to center to score both Culpepper and Larnach, trimming the deficit to 5-4 and swinging Detroit's win probability from 89% down to 72% — an 18-point drop in a single at-bat. That looks like the moment this game almost got away from the Tigers. Jenkins finished 1-for-3 with 2 RBI, and Larnach was arguably Minnesota's best player on the night at 2-for-3 with a homer and 2 runs scored. But Detroit's bullpen slammed the door after that Jenkins double, and the Twins couldn't manufacture the tying run. Greene's 3-for-4 performance with the go-ahead power and McGonigle's early jolt appear to be what ultimately separated these two teams on a night when Minnesota's offense showed enough life to make it genuinely uncomfortable.