McKinstry, Tigers rally past Twins after shaky start by Olson

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on Apr 11, 2025

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Tigers just keep coming.

Down 4-1, they rallied for four runs in the sixth inning and held on to beat the Central Division-rival Minnesota Twins, 7-6, Friday night at Target Field in the first of three.

The Twins helped them off the mat in the top of the sixth. Reliever Jorge Alcala walked the first two hitters, Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson. An infield single by Colt Keith loaded the bases.

Zach McKinstry, coming off an 8-for-13 homestand, lashed a two-run single to cut the deficit to a run.

Catcher Dillon Dingler greeted reliever Justin Topa with a single to tie the game. It was his third hit of the game. He singled and scored the Tigers’ first run of the game in the fifth, aggressively going first to third on a two-out single by Gleyber Torres and scoring when the throw from right field went into the Tigers’ dugout.

McKinstry scored on a groundout by Trey Sweeney, putting the Tigers up 5-4.

They went up 6-4 in the seventh on a two-out single by Keith, cashing in on an error by former Tiger Willi Castro at third base.

And after Byron Buxton cut it 6-5 with a home run off reliever Beau Brieske in the bottom of the seventh, Sweeney and Javier Baez hit back-to-back doubles in the top of the eighth to reestablish the two-run lead.

After Will Vest dispatched the Twins in the eighth, but things got a little dicey in the ninth.

The Twins put two runners on against Tommy Kahnle with two outs. Ty France ripped a two-strike single up the middle to make it a one-run game but he got Mickey Gasper to end it.

It was a rock-and-a-hard-place night for Tigers starter Reese Olson.

He had to do battle on multiple fronts Friday night. He was fighting his own command and the inconsistent strike zone of home plate umpire Andy Fletcher.

A no-win situation, for sure, and Olson’s line reflects the struggle – four runs, six hits, three walks and 90 pitches in just 4 1/3 innings.

Olson went to three-ball counts four times and walked two in the first two innings. Olson walked Buxton to start a 28-pitch second inning, spraying the four balls.

Buxton stole second and scored on a single by Ty France. The inning got extended by a two-out single by No. 9 hitter Christian Vazquez but Olson thought he had struck him out on the previous pitch, a 2-2 fastball at the bottom of the zone.

Statcast showed the pitch was in the zone but Fletcher wasn’t calling pitches at the bottom rail. Fletcher took another strikeout away from Olson in the fourth, too, a 3-2 pitch to Mickey Gasper that Statcast showed in the box.

Olson hit Matt Wallner to start the fifth and then gave up two softly-struck singles to Castro and Carlos Correa which plated a run. Olson struck out Buxton and gave way to right-hander Brenan Hanifee.

By the time the fifth inning ended, the Twins were up 4-1. A ground ball by Buxton scored one run and a double by Edouard Julien scored another.

The Tigers (8-5) will send rookie Jackson Jobe to the mound on Saturday.