'It's the next goal': Tigers inching closer to .500 record 

CHICAGO -- Just getting to .500 isn’t the end goal for the Tigers this season, but approaching that point is something they have their eyes on. They are only a game shy of that even mark (65-66) with Sunday’s 9-4 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

That alone is an accomplishment, given that the Tigers were as much as nine games below .500 on July 4 and haven’t had a winning record since they were 31-30 on June 4.

“It’s important, it’s the next goal,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “And once you accomplish that, then we will reset the goals. That’s not what we want to be, and the season is not over if, and when, we can get to that mark.”

Detroit came close to falling further away from the .500 benchmark early on, trailing 2-0 after the first inning. But the Tigers strung together tough at-bats and clutch hits to take the lead in the fifth inning. Kerry Carpenter, Colt Keith and Jace Jung started the inning with a single apiece; Jung’s line drive to right field scored Carpenter to tie the game. Two batters later, Hinch pinch-hit Andy Ibáñez for Zach McKinstry, and he drove in the go-ahead run.

The Tigers added two more runs on Ibáñez’s two-run homer in the seventh inning, and then two more in the eighth thanks to Keith’s double down the right-field line. Keith went 3-for-4 with a walk on Sunday, and he has a 1.102 OPS in his last seven games.

“I’m feeling good," Keith said. "Made a few adjustments in the last couple weeks, and it’s allowed me to really free up, loosen up and be able to pull some balls and also go the other way."

With their 14 base hits on Sunday, the Tigers offense had at least 10 hits for the third straight game. That kind of production on the offensive side has helped as Hinch has been creative with his pitching plans.

Only Tarik Skubal and Keider Montero are filling the role of a traditional starter because of injuries to other pitchers, so Hinch used reliever Beau Brieske as an opener on Sunday. He gave up two runs on a leadoff walk to Nicky Lopez and back-to-back doubles by Andrew Benintendi and Andrew Vaughn. But by going with Brieske to start the game, Hinch was able to turn to left-hander Bryan Sammons for a more optimal matchup in bulk innings.

“We got a chance to start [Sammons] with [Dominic] Fletcher [in the second inning] as opposed to starting him with [Nicky] Lopez, [Andrew] Benintendi and [Corey] Julks at the top,” Hinch said. “I think our guys have responded with the roles that we put them in.”

Sammons pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief and gave up just one run on a Vaughn solo homer in the third inning to earn his first career win.

“I went through a period of time where I was a reliever, so that probably helped me a little bit and I’ve always just kind of trusted myself,” Sammons said. “I just think being able to be adaptable and adjustable is a big part of success.”

The Tigers rotation will get some help soon -- No. 16 prospect Ty Madden is slated to make his Major League debut against the White Sox on Monday -- but Hinch has said he will continue to use pitching plans like Sunday’s going forward.

That kind of flexibility has been the theme for every part of the roster.

Hinch has pulled just as many levers with his lineups and in-game changes; on Sunday he pinch-hit for the starting McKinstry even though he had a walk, a single and two stolen bases. That move was about the matchup, not how either player had been performing. With the bases loaded and a lefty reliever coming into the game, Hinch wanted Ibáñez at the plate, regardless of McKinstry’s box score to that point.

Those moves have worked, especially lately. The Tigers are seven games above .500 since the start of July, and when they do reach that mark, they can turn to the next goal -- their first winning season since 2016.

“That would be a big goal for us to achieve,” Keith said. “I’ve been saying for a while that this team has a lot of potential, we’ve just got to be more consistent. And you see us being consistent the last couple weeks playing good baseball.

“We’ve just got to keep it going, and if we do that, we’ll be above .500 at the end of the year.”