Rookie Wenceel Pérez hits three-run triple in six-run 7th as Tigers beat Diamondbacks 8-3

Updated May. 19, 2024 12:17 a.m. ET

Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Wenceel Pérez hit a three-run triple to break open a close game and Jack Flaherty picked up his first victory of the season as the Detroit Tigers rallied to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-3 on Saturday night.

Detroit scored six runs — all with two outs — in the seventh inning to take a 6-2 lead. Flaherty (1-3), who had pitched well most of the season, seemed headed for another defeat before the Tigers mounted their comeback.

Pérez had two triples, Javier Báez had four hits and the Tigers got 11 of their 15 hits in the last three innings to take the first two games of the three-game series.

“We hung in there against a really good pitcher. Today wasn’t easy,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

Until the sixth it was a pitchers’ duel between Flaherty and Zac Gallen. Each struck out six in the first three innings.

"They’re fun. Zac’s a stud. You just keep pitching and tonight these guys got me out of it with a huge inning," Flaherty said. "We’ve been swinging the bats well for the last two days.

Arizona broke through in the sixth when Ketel Marte tripled to drive in the first run and extend his career-high hitting streak to 17 games, the longest current streak in the majors. Joc Pederson followed with a base hit to score Marte.

But Detroit, held scoreless after scoring 13 on Friday night, answered in the seventh against Gallen (5-3). Doubles by Gio Urshela and Báez — the latter with two outs — got the Tigers on the board. Former Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly followed with a single to tie the score and knock out his former batterymate.

Joe Mantiply relieved Gallen and Riley Greene doubled, sending Kelly to third. Mark Canha was intentionally walked to load the bases for Pérez, who tripled to left center to score all three. He later came home on Urshela’s infield hit to cap the scoring for the inning.

Pérez added a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the Tigers’ two-run eighth to finish with four RBIs.

The duel extended between innings, as Flaherty dug out a hole in front of the rubber when he took the mound. When Gallen returned, he called the grounds crew to refill it — and the cycle repeated itself until Gallen was removed in the seventh.

Flaherty and Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo exchanged words from their dugouts in the seventh, but Lovullo didn't want to talk about that situation after the game.

“I didn’t have any issues with it,” Flaherty said. "I know what was going on because I know Zac, but they let him continue to fix it. You just keep pitching. He pitched really well.

“Every mound I get on, I kick it out. I’ve done it since high school. For whatever reason, it feels better that way.”

Flaherty retired the first nine hitters he faced, striking out six, before Corbin Carroll tripled leading off the fourth. Flaherty stranded him at third with two strikeouts and an infield out.

Flaherty allowed five hits, walked two and struck out nine in six innings. He threw 98 pitches.

Gallen struck out 10 and walked nobody in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and was charged with three runs.

Báez, who had three hits Friday night in Detroit’s 13-0 win, had four more hits Saturday - two doubles and two singles. In his career at Chase Field, mostly with the Chicago Cubs, he has a .371 average.

A Mexican heritage night promotion drew a crowd of 35,326.

RECOGNITION

Kelly and LHP Andrew Chafin received their National League championship rings in a ceremony before the game. Both were members of the pennant-winning Diamondbacks last season.

PERFECT DAY

Saturday was the 20th anniversary of Randy Johnson’s perfect game against the Braves in Atlanta. Johnson, at 40 years and 251 days, is the oldest of the 24 pitchers to have thrown a perfect game. The Hall of Fame lefty struck out 13 in the Diamondbacks’ 2-0 victory.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: SS Geraldo Perdomo and CF Alek Thomas took live at-bats on Friday. Lovullo said Perdomo is a “couple weeks” away from a return.

Detroit RHP Matt Manning (0-1, 4.37) faces Arizona LHP Jordan Montgomery (2-2, 4.76) in Sunday’s series finale.

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