Nine runs from a team with nothing left to play for
Detroit was eliminated on Sunday. A loss to the Chicago White Sox ended the mathematics. Twenty-four hours later the Tigers hit three home runs and buried the Washington Nationals 9-2 in the opener of a three-game series at home.
Ben Malgeri supplied the biggest of them, a three-run shot in the fifth. Javier Baez and Spencer Torkelson added two-run drives. Detroit sits at 74-83 with five games left, a record that already guarantees a losing season, and this was only their second win in six outings.
The supporting numbers were just as lopsided. Hao-Yu Lee finished with three hits, a run and an RBI. Eduardo Valencia also had three hits and a run. Dillon Dingler reached twice and scored twice. Washington dropped to 73-84 and has now lost two in a row.
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River Ryan gets his first look in Detroit
The more interesting thread ran through the mound. River Ryan started for the Tigers and threw three scoreless innings with three strikeouts, allowing two hits and a walk in his club debut. Called up from Triple-A Toledo, he is one of three prospects Detroit received from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Tarik Skubal trade last month.
Ryan had pitched four games for the Dodgers in 2024 before Tommy John surgery cost him the better part of two seasons. Three clean innings in late September settle nothing on their own. A rebuilding rotation still needs data points, and Detroit just collected one.
Keider Montero followed with four shutout innings, five strikeouts, one hit and one walk, moving his record to 10-9.
Herz returns to a rough welcome
DJ Herz was also making his first major league appearance since 2024. Washington’s left-hander gave up four runs on five hits across four innings, striking out four and walking two.
The damage started early. Herz walked Gleyber Torres on four pitches, threw a wild pitch, and watched Lee double him home. Valencia’s single and an error by left fielder James Wood made it 2-0. Baez pulled a changeup over the left field wall in the fourth for 4-0. By the time Malgeri and Torkelson connected in the fifth, the scoreboard read 9-0.
Yohandy Morales pinch-hit a two-run homer off Drew Sommers in the eighth. It was the only column in the box score that belonged to Washington.
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