Pitching shines as Troy Melton leads Detroit Tigers to 1-0 win over Chicago White Sox

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2 days ago

CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers needed two things on Wednesday, Aug. 13: efficiency from starting pitcher Troy Melton and run support from the strikeout-prone offense.
Only one came, but it was enough for a win.
The Tigers won, 1-0, in their series finale against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field, taking two of three games in the series — both by one run. The rookie Melton led the way with five scoreless innings on 56 pitches.
The Tigers (70-52) have secured two series in a row for the first time since early July, an important recovery from dropping six of seven series in between.
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Melton, a 24-year-old right-hander, took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He wasn't going to pitch nine innings regardless, but Luis Robert Jr. broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff double off Melton's two-strike slider.
The way Melton responded stood out – he struck out the next three batters: Andrew Benintendi (swinging, 85.4 mph slider), Miguel Vargas (swinging, 97.1 mph four-seam fastball), Edgar Quero (swinging, 85 mph slider).
Those were three of Melton's six strikeouts.
He didn't issue a walk.
After the fifth inning, the Tigers turned the game over to right-handed reliever Sawyer Gipson-Long, who returned from a 47-day stint on the injured list (neck stiffness). He fired scoreless sixth and seventh innings, setting up a path to win.
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Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest
For the final two innings, the Tigers turned to their best relievers to win the series finale: right-hander Kyle Finnegan in the eighth and righty Will Vest in the ninth.
Finnegan, 33, continued his dominance since the Tigers acquired him from the Washington Nationals at the July 31 trade deadline. This time, he worked around a leadoff walk with three outs in a row, including two groundouts.
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Since the trade, Finnegan hasn't allowed a run in 5⅓ innings.
Vest, 30, recorded the final three outs – Curtis Mead (groundout), Kyle Teel (strikeout) and Lenyn Sosa (flyout) – to lower his ERA this season to 2.61 in 49 games.
He has 18 saves in 23 chances.
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The only run
The Tigers were shut down by right-hander Shane Smith, who completed five scoreless innings on two hits and three walks with five strikeouts in his 92-pitch performance.
But the Tigers scored after Smith's departure.
In the sixth inning, the Tigers loaded the bases against left-handed reliever Martín Pérez in his return from a lengthy stay on the injured list (elbow). To load the bases, Kerry Carpenter slapped a single, Spencer Torkelson ripped a double to center and Riley Greene drew a rare walk.
The Tigers were limited to one run in their bases-loaded, no-out situation, scoring on Wenceel Pérez's sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. After that, Javier Báez struck out and Jahmai Jones grounded into a force out — stranding runners on the corners.
But that one run was enough to win.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Troy Melton leads Detroit Tigers pitchers to 1-0 win over White Sox