Madden impressing as Tigers make September chase

SAN DIEGO -- The Tigers’ momentum slowed a bit on Monday afternoon with a 3-0 loss to the Padres at Petco Park. But the mere fact the loss caused believers to glance at the standings shows how fast the Tigers have been moving forward.

The Tigers are playing meaningful games in September. Just ask actor J.K. Simmons, one of their top celebrity fans.

“It’s September, and we’re talking about it,” Simmons said during a visit to the Tigers’ TV booth on Monday. “That’s all we were hoping for in March.”

Had Tigers fans been told in March that the club would be sellers at the Trade Deadline, which it was, they probably would have thought September would be all about playing for 2025.

Not yet. The Tigers are still within shouting distance of the final AL Wild Card spot, five games behind Kansas City. And they are 15-6 since Aug. 11, tied with the Dodgers for the best record in the Majors in that time.

The Tigers neither gained nor lost ground on Monday, as the Royals suffered their sixth straight defeat. But they did gain something: Rookie right-hander Ty Madden got more experience and a confidence boost.

With Tigers manager A.J. Hinch deploying the now-familiar bullpen game strategy, Madden was on call as the bulk reliever in his second Major League outing. He got the nod for the bottom of the fourth inning and proceeded to retire 12 of the 13 batters he saw across his first four innings.

“Execution was a lot better today,” Madden said. “I felt a lot better than I did in my debut. Just felt more like myself.”

Madden, ranked as the Tigers’ No. 16 prospect by MLB Pipeline, entered the game with Detroit trailing, 1-0, and Padres starter Joe Musgrove in top form for the opposing squad. Madden kept the Tigers one big hit from tying the game until the eighth inning, when he surrendered three straight hits to open the frame and end his outing.

No. 8 hitter Kyle Higashioka doubled, and No. 9 hitter Mason McCoy dropped a bunt single. Two-time batting champ Luis Arraez then followed with an RBI single. One runner left behind by Madden scored for the game’s final run.

“Ty earned the opportunity to go through that part of the order,” Hinch said.

Hinch has worked Tigers prospects into the mix while simultaneously keeping postseason hopes alive -- breathing life into such hopes, perhaps.

So Madden got a chance with a start a week earlier against the White Sox: five innings, seven hits, one run and no-decision in a Tigers victory. Outing No. 2 came with high-leverage innings against a quality Padres offense in, yes, a meaningful September game.

Madden, 24, showed the mix of a veteran. Scouts label his slider his best pitch, but he threw it only six times on Monday because his cutter (12 pitches) was working so well. His six swings and misses were split evenly among his cutter and splitter.

“I thought he looked great,” said fellow Tigers rookie Colt Keith. “He was getting a ton of soft contact against a good team. I think he was great, and he’s going to keep building on that.”

As Madden looks to his next opportunity, Tigers fans have to wait to see if the team can regain momentum. There’s a rare midseries off-day on Tuesday before the Tigers draw Yu Darvish in his comeback start on Wednesday.

Simmons, for one, is waiting.

“We’re not out of it,” he said.