Bullpen rises to occasion to start road trip

ST. PETERSBURG -- Prior to Friday’s game, manager Ron Gardenhire lamented the fact that the Tigers would have to use Drew VerHagen in long relief. The right-hander had pitched well as a starter for Triple-A Toledo, and in doing so he had earned the right to transfer that to the big stage.

Unfortunately, a rash of injuries, coupled with Detroit’s rotation struggles of late, left the Tigers searching for long relief, and as much as they could get. With VerHagen stretched out and next up, he was the perfect candidate.

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And on Friday night, he teamed with starter Daniel Norris and closer Joe Jiménez to form a trio that the red-hot Rays had no answer for during Detroit’s 2-0 win at Tropicana Field. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak at Tropicana Field and marked the Tigers’ third shutout of the season, all of them coming on the road. Detroit blanked the Orioles on May 28 and the Blue Jays on Opening Day.

“We did play good defense and made a lot of really good plays out there,” Gardenhire said. “We had some big performances on the mound. Our starter threw really well, VerHagen was unbelievable against a really good team and Jimenez had his moment, and it was a big moment, but it was really exciting. [This was] a great win for us to start this road trip.”

VerHagen entered for Norris in the top of the fourth and limited a Tampa Bay squad that had won seven of its past 10 games to just three hits over his five innings, walking one and striking out three.

It was exactly the outing Detroit was looking for from the 28-year-old, who was pressed into service after Norris exited following 51 pitches and three scoreless frames as the Tigers continue to monitor his innings.

“I felt like my stuff was so-so, then got better as the night went on,” VerHagen said. “I feel like my mindset and confidence was key. I was just throwing strikes and challenging those guys.”

VerHagen made special note that as he ate up the middle innings, guys like Niko Goodrum ate up the middle infield behind him.

The Tigers’ second baseman anchored a double play after the Rays led off the sixth inning with a single, then he made the tag on a crucial throw from catcher Jake Rogers, who caught Austin Meadows trying to steal second base to end the frame. Tampa Bay challenged the call, but it was upheld.

Goodrum showcased his athleticism again in the seventh. Detroit’s shift on Jesus Aguilar had the second baseman playing nearly behind the bag. Aguilar ripped a grounder a Statcast-estimated 104.8 mph to Goodrum’s right, but the 27-year-old was able to snag it on the dive. From a seated position on the infield where he’d tumbled, he aimed a five-hop throw at first base that beat Aguilar and drew rave reviews from the visitors’ dugout.

“He threw that one from his butt; that was unbelievable,” VerHagen said. “It bounced like six times. That was pretty awesome. That was cool [that] they picked me up.”

In the ninth inning with Detroit nursing a 2-0 lead, the Tigers turned to Jimenez to close it out. The righty got two hard-fought, but consecutive, outs to open the frame, but he needed 15 pitches to do so. After he lost pinch-hitter Ji-Man Choi to a six-pitch walk and allowed the tying run to reach on a single, Jimenez’s pitch count was dangerously near its limit.

Jimenez took Eric Sogard to a full count before ringing up the final strike of the game -- and his third save of the season -- on a four-seamer high and away.

Although the end was a bit more intense than anyone would have liked, nights like Friday still leave the Tigers hopeful for what’s to come.

“We’ve talked about that this is the atmosphere,” Gardenhire said. “These guys are right there and trying to get into the playoffs, and we have to rise to the occasion. You can learn from these games, playing against a team like that over there that is relentless.”