Five Things We Liked From Last Week, August 15th

Welcome to “Five Things We Liked From Last Week”, a weekly list of… five things we liked from last week:

1. Matt Vierling

Despite facing some adversity over the past month plus, the 2025 season has been a major success so far for the Detroit Tigers.

It’s true that a once massive lead in the division is now down to a slightly less massive 6.5 games, but if you’d have asked Tigers fans before the season if they’d be happy with a 6.5 game lead in the division on August 15^th, the resounding answer would have been yes.

There have been many signature moments so far this year for Detroit, including Javy Báez’ walk off home run on May 13^th, and Gleyber Torres’ go ahead home run on July 27^th.

Last Friday, Matt Vierling added his name to the list.

2025 has been a trying year for Vierling, who was one of the Tigers best players last season. A shoulder injury in spring training forced the 28 year old to miss the first several weeks of the season, and after finally working his way back to the lineup on May 23^rd, Matt re-aggravated the shoulder and was forced to go back on the injured list on May 27^th. He ended up missing another full month, and after his return from the shoulder injury, it was understandably a bit tough for Vierling to find his rhythm.

In August, Matt finally appeared to have turned a corner, with a .929 OPS in 20 plate appearances. But in a cruel twist of fate, on Sunday Detroit announced that Vierling was headed back to the injured list, this time with an oblique injury. It was a tough blow for Matt and the Tigers, but prior to the oblique injury, Vierling provided one of Detroit’s biggest hits of the season to date.

Heading into last Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, the Tigers had dropped three of their last four games, including two straight to a Minnesota Twins team that sold heavily at the deadline. Detroit was in need of a spark, but a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the 8^th inning threatened to bring the losing streak to three games.

In the bottom of the 8^th, both Jahmai Jones and Gleyber Torres walked to start the inning. Kerry Carpenter was due up next, but with a lefty on the mound, Tiger manager A.J. Hinch called on Matt Vierling to pinch hit. And on the fifth pitch of the at bat, Vierling sent a Reid Detmers fastball over the left field wall, giving the Tigers the lead which they ultimately held on to.

Vierling was a major contributor to Detroit’s epic run to close out the 2024 season, and is known as a leader in the clubhouse. And true to form, he stepped up on Friday when the Tigers needed it the most.

Ideally the oblique injury is a minor one, but obliques are always tricky. Detroit will hope that Vierling can return to the lineup before the end of the regular season, and provide a little more needed magic.

2. Kerry Carpenter

Speaking of magic, on October 14^th, 2006, Magglio Ordóñez cemented himself in Detroit Tigers postseason lore by hitting a walk off home run in Game 4 of the ALCS, propelling Detroit to the World Series.

Eighteen years later, in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 2024 ALDS, current Tiger outfielder Kerry Carpenter joined him, hitting a memorable go ahead three run homer off of Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase to even the series at a game a piece.

While the Tigers ultimately lost that series to Cleveland, Carpenter’s bomb lives on in Detroit baseball history.

Entering the 2025 season, expectations were high for Kerry. Not only did he produce that “where were you when” highlight in the 2024 playoffs, but he also put up a 159 wRC+ during the ‘24 regular season, after posting a 122 wRC+ in 2023.

Carpenter started 2025 on a high note, slashing .271/.303/.553 in April, and followed that up with a solid .270/.305/.420 line in May. In June, Kerry’s average dipped down to .224, but a .567 slugging percentage helped make up the deficit. Unfortunately, that same month, his hamstring started barking, which ultimately caused him to hit the injured list in late June and miss most of July.

Minus one of their best hitters, the Tigers perhaps not coincidentally hit a slump starting on July 9^th, and ended up losing 12 of 13 games from July 9^th through July 26^th. Carpenter returned to the lineup on July 27^th, and again perhaps not coincidentally, Detroit ended up winning their next four games.

Since returning to the lineup, Kerry is hitting .340/.358/.780, providing much needed thump to a Tigers lineup that had really been struggling. That includes Sunday afternoon, when Carpenter broke the game open with a three run homer, leading Detroit to a big series win after dropping their previous two series.

The Tigers need all hands on deck if they hope to make noise the rest of the season and hopefully into the postseason, and Carp has done his part so far.

3. Thursday Night

The Big Red Machine. The Steel Curtain. The Bad Boys.

The Gritty Tigs.

During last season’s push to the playoffs, the Tigers became known for their tough, grind-it-out style of play. The “Gritty Tigs” moniker caught on and stuck, and while it’s hard to fully sustain over a long 162 game season, we’ve seen many flashes of that same mentality this year as well.

Thursday night was a perfect example.

Tarik Skubal got the start for Detroit against the Minnesota Twins, and uncharacteristically was laboring for the first three innings, allowing three runs with no strikeouts. It looked like it could be a short night for Skubal and a long night for the bullpen, and things weren’t looking great heading into the top of the fourth.

But with two outs in the top of the fourth, Kerry Carpenter doubled, and Riley Greene followed up with a two run shot to right, cutting the Twins lead to 3-2. And that’s when Skubs locked in.

From the fourth through the seventh, Tarik allowed no runs on one hit, holding the Minnesota offense at bay. That allowed the Tigers to tie the game in the sixth on a Javy Báez double and Colt Keith single.

With the score tied at three, in the eighth, newcomer Kyle Finnegan came on in relief of Skubal. Byron Buxton greeted him with a deep drive to left that looked like a no doubt double at least, until Riley Greene came out of nowhere and added another amazing catch to his highlight reel, smashing into the left field wall and bloodying his arm in the process.

Finnegan struck the next two batters out to end the inning, and with both teams failing to score in the ninth, the game headed to extra innings.

The Tigers again failed to score in the top of the 10^th, and things again weren’t looking great. Minnesota led off the bottom of the inning with a sac bunt, leaving a runner on third with one out.

Earlier in the game, while he wasn’t charged with an error, chances are Spencer Torkelson would tell you he could have caught a grounder that just went under his glove for a base hit. But he came up clutch later in the 10^th, as with that runner on third, Twins center fielder Austin Martin hit a check swing chopper to Tork, who charged and fired a strike to home to keep the Minnesota runner from scoring. Detroit escaped the inning, and in the top of the 11^th, a Gleyber Torres sac fly gave the Tigers the lead.

Rafael Montero was another trade deadline addition for Detroit, and his first few appearances with the squad have been a little up and down, including Sunday, when he walked three batters and allowed two runs. But he also came up clutch Thursday night, not only getting the last out of the 10^th, but closing the game out in the 11^th with two strikeouts sandwiched around a weak groundout.

Skubal battling back. The Tigers offense battling back. Spencer Torkelson battling back. Rafael Montero battling back.

Gritty Tigs indeed.

4. Professional Debuts

The 2025 MLB Draft occurred just over a month ago, and earlier this week, we finally got to see a few members of the Tigers class in action.

On Sunday, 8^th rounder Nick Dumesnil and 13^th rounder Jack Goodman made their professional debuts with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Dumesnil is a right handed hitting outfielder out of California Baptist University, and Goodman is a right handed hitting infielder out of Northeastern University.

In their first professional plate appearances, Dumesnil grounded out to second, while Goodman smoked a double that left the bat at 106 MPH, in what had to be an amazing feeling. Dumesnil later joined the party in the bottom of the fifth, hitting a single to center field, and followed that up with another single in the bottom of the eighth, helping spark a Lakeland come-from-behind victory.

On Tuesday, Goodman hit his first professional home run, and in their first week of pro ball, Dumesnil is slashing .357/.400/.500 in 15 PAs, while Goodman is hitting .385/.467/.769 in 15 PAs.

With their professional careers just getting started, it’s an exciting time for these youngsters, who get to now forever say that they were professional baseball players.

5. Prospect Promotions

With just over a month left in the minor league season, there’s still time for players to make their mark on the 2025 season. And on Sunday and Monday, we found out that three standouts from the Tigers minor league system this year will get the chance to showcase their progress at the next level.

On Sunday, we learned via Emily Waldon on X that John Peck and Seth Stephenson were promoted to Double A Erie; and on Monday, we learned that Max Anderson was promoted up to Triple A Toledo.

The promotions were well earned for all three players, who have each raised their stock within the Tigers organization this season.

Peck was Detroit’s 7^th round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, out of Pepperdine. After a solid 2024 season split between Low and High A, he was even more impressive this year at High A prior to his promotion, where he hit .307/.364/.452 in 412 plate appearances. His performance equated to a 135 wRC+, which ranked 7^th in the Midwest League as of the day of his promotion. He also launched 10 home runs with West Michigan, which is seven more than he’d hit in his entire professional career prior to 2025; and added 17 steals for good measure. More line drives and fly balls, and less grounders compared to 2024 was a recipe for success for Peck this season.

Stephenson was also a 7^th round pick, selected a year earlier than John Peck in the 2022 MLB Draft, out of Tennessee. Seth spent the 2024 season in High A, where he put up a 112 wRC+ in 477 PAs, and swiped a whopping 60 bags. Stephenson started the 2025 season back at High A, and his numbers improved almost universally across the board from 2024. Prior to getting called up to Erie, Seth was hitting .286/.371/.420, for a 133 wRC+ that ranked 10^th in the Midwest League as of the day of his promotion. He also added 42 steals, which ranked tied for 5^th in the Midwest League prior to his promotion; and his 8 home runs with West Michigan were just one short of his pro career total prior to 2025. Stephenson’s batted ball profile looks similar to 2024’s, but an improved strikeout rate and much improved infield fly ball rate have helped catapult him forward in 2025.

Anderson was the Tigers 2^nd round pick in the 2023 draft, out of Nebraska. Max spent the majority of the 2024 season as Stephenson’s teammate in High A, slashing .270/.321/.392 (111 wRC+) in 527 PAs. He was promoted to Double A Erie for the 2025 season, and had his coming out party, hitting .306/.358/.499 with 14 home runs prior to getting called up to Toledo. Max’s 148 wRC+ ranked 6^th in the Eastern League prior to his callup; and like John Peck, he’s hitting less grounders and more fly balls compared to last season, and is also going the opposite way 8% less than last season, allowing him to tap into his power a little more often.

Peck, Stephenson and Anderson have all shown notable improvement this year, and there are seemingly sustainable reasons behind those improvements. The Tigers and the players themselves will hope that success continues at the next level the rest of this season and beyond, and with all three now firmly in the upper minors, an eventual call to Detroit is within reach.

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