Vierling went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 10-1 win over the Guardians.
A day after going deep and driving in three runs, Vierling stayed locked in, extending his modest hitting streak to four games. For the season, the 27-year-old is batting .249 with a .729 OPS. While his production doesn't jump off the page, Vierling does see regular playing time for the Tigers across the field, giving him some degree of fantasy utility.
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Tigers' Riley Greene: Contributes three hits, three RBI
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Greene went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Guardians.
Greene had entered Wednesday's game in a 1-for-14 skid but collected two hits Wednesday and three more Thursday to break out of the mini-slump. It was the sixth time this season and fourth since June 15 that Greene has collected at least three hits in a game. He also added three RBI, giving him 48 on the season to go along with a .266 average and 17 homers.
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Tigers' Carson Kelly: Homers, reaches base three times
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Kelly went 1-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and an additional run scored Thursday against the Guardians.
Kelly, starting for just the second time in five days as he continues to work in a timeshare with Jake Rogers, extended his modest hitting streak to six while reaching base three times and homering for the third time during that six-game stretch. It was the seventh home run of the season for Kelly, who has also added 28 RBI while producing a useful slash line of .247/.326/.418 through 178 plate appearances.
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Tigers' Jack Flaherty: Doesn't miss a beat
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Flaherty (6-5) picked up the win Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over six innings against the Guardians. He struck out four.
Flaherty, who had not pitched since June 27 due to lingering back issues, received plenty of run support while holding the Guardians' lineup in check, save for a solo homer in the third by Bo Naylor. Flaherty managed 83 pitches through six innings and was staked with a 10-1 lead by the time he was replaced. It was the fifth time in six starts Flaherty had allowed no more than one run with the lone exception coming in his last start which immediately preceded his two-week hiatus. Flaherty has been a model of consistency in his first year in Detroit, never completing a full seven innings, yet also never completing fewer than five through 16 starts this season. Through 95 innings, He's tallied an impressive stat line of 119 strikeouts to go along with a 3.13 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. With the All-Star break approaching, Flaherty, who is one of this season's larger All-Star snubs, will receive additional rest prior to the start of the second half of the season.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Canha is "very available" for Thursday's game against the Guardians, despite the fact that he's been contending with left hip discomfort of late, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "It's not a punishment at all, it's [how] these other guys are swinging the bat," Hinch said of Canha's status. "I think Mark's best contribution today will be off the bench."
Canha is out of the lineup Thursday for a third straight game, and while the hip issue initially looked to be at least part of the reason why he was on the bench, Hinch's comments seemed to suggest that it's more of a result of Canha's poor performance of late. Heading into Thursday's contest, Canha is hitting just .098/.203/.118 with one extra-base hit over his last 15 games, though it's unclear to what extent playing through the hip injury might have factored into his struggles. Regardless, Zack McKinstry has been the main beneficiary of Canha's slump, as the lefty-hitting McKinstry will stay in the lineup for a fifth straight game. The two could end up being deployed in a de facto platoon, making the right-handed-hitting Canha a candidate to re-enter the lineup Friday and Saturday, when the Tigers are tentatively scheduled to face Dodgers lefties Justin Wrobleski and James Paxton.
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Tigers' Kenta Maeda: Heading to bullpen
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Maeda won't make his next scheduled start Sunday versus the Dodgers and has been moved to the bullpen "for the foreseeable future," Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Maeda's demotion to the bullpen comes after he was lit up for six earned runs over 2.2 innings during Tuesday's 9-8 loss to the Guardians, bringing his season ERA to 7.26 over 65.2 frames. The Tigers signed the 36-year-old to a two-year, $24 million contract this winter with the hope that he would bring some experience and stability to the middle of a young rotation, but Maeda has fallen well short of the club's expectations. As a soft-tossing right-hander who doesn't make many bats miss at this stage of his career, Maeda wouldn't seem to be a candidate to see a dramatic spike in his performance while working out of the bullpen, so the Tigers could relegate him to lower-leverage or mop-up situations. Hinch didn't immediately name a replacement in the rotation for Maeda on Sunday, as the Tigers are instead expected to treat their final game before the All-Star break as a bullpen day, per Woodbery.
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Tigers' Mark Canha: Nursing hip injury
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Canha said Wednesday that he's still contending with left hip discomfort, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The hip issue helps explain why Canha will be out of the lineup for a third straight game Thursday against the Guardians, though the 35-year-old likely would have continued to play through the injury had he been performing better at the plate. Over his last 15 games, Canha is slashing a miserable .098/.203/.118 with one extra-base hit (a double). The injury and some bad luck may be contributing to Canha's recent struggles, as he's upheld strong walk (10.2 percent) and strikeout rates (11.9 percent) over those 15 games but has a .111 BABIP. Zach McKinstry has benefited the most from added playing time this week, but Canha could eventually settle back into a near-everyday role once the injury is fully behind him.
McKinstry will start at third base and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Guardians, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Even with Javier Baez (back) returning from the injured list Monday, McKinstry has been able to retain a near-everyday role in the Detroit infield, at least against right-handed pitching. McKinstry will draw his fifth consecutive start Thursday, with the 29-year-old having picked up three starts at third base and two at shortstop during that span. Third base could end up being the primary home for McKinstry if he hits well enough to retain a regular spot in the lineup, as Matt Vierling is capable of filling in as an outfielder while Parker Meadows (hamstring) is on the shelf.
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Tigers' Mark Canha: Odd man out of lineup again
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Canha is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Guardians, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Parker Meadows' (hamstring) move to the injured list Monday hasn't seemed to help Canha from a playing-time perspective. The 35-year-old will hit the bench for the third day in a row while he's slashed an ugly .098/.203/.118 over his last 15 games. Rather than Canha, utility man Zach McKinstry seems to be the main beneficiary of Meadows' absence, as McKinstry has now started at either third base or shortstop in five straight contests.
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Tigers' Jake Rogers: Resting Thursday
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Rogers is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Guardians, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Rogers had started behind the plate in three of the Tigers' last four contests, but he'll take a seat Thursday while the two clubs wrap up their series with a day game after a night game. Carson Kelly will draw the start at catcher.
Keith went 1-for-2 with a walk, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Guardians.
Keith continues to chug along as he extended his hitting streak to eight games. During that stretch, the rookie has batted .419 with six extra-base hits. After looking shaky to start the season, Keith now appears to be a solid fantasy contributor, and fantasy mangers should jump on the 22-year-old if he's still available in their leagues given his recent performance and considerable upside.
Tigers' Matt Vierling: Homers, drives in three in win
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Vierling went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Guardians.
Vierling hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning and gave the Tigers a 4-2 lead with a two-run homer in the third. He has had a decent start to July, logging hits in five of seven contests with two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored. On the season, the 27-year-old is hitting .246 with 12 home runs, 38 RBI and 41 runs scored over 317 plate appearances.
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Tigers' Jason Foley: Earns 15th save
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Foley earned a save in Wednesday's win over the Guardians, walking one and recording the final two outs in the ninth inning.
Foley was summoned to protect a 5-4 lead with one out in the ninth inning and stranded a runner on third to secure his 15th save in 17 attempts. It was a gutsy effort, as he entered Wednesday having yielded four earned runs over his previous four appearances. On the season, the 28-year-old owns a 3.41 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 24:10 K:BB over 31.2 innings.
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Tigers' Reese Olson: Logs quality start in win
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Olson (4-8) earned the win against the Guardians on Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts over six innings.
Olson allowed two runs in the third inning and a solo homer in the fourth but rebounded with two scoreless frames before departing at 95 pitches. The righty has now logged quality starts in four of his past five outings and registered consecutive victories for the first time this season. He will take a 3.30 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 92:29 K:BB into the All-Star break.
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Tigers' Javier Baez: Hitting bench Wednesday
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Baez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.
After coming off the 10-day injured list Monday, Baez started at shortstop in both of the first two contests of the series, going 1-for-6 with a double between the two contests. Though he's expected to see the bulk of the starts at shortstop now that he's healthy again, Baez will give way Wednesday to utility man Zach McKinstry.
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Tigers' Mark Canha: On bench in second straight game
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Canha is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.
Even though he had gotten on base in each of his last four starts, Canha is still slashing a dismal .098/.203/.118 dating back to June 19. The extended slump at the plate looks like it will cost Canha some playing time, as he'll hit the bench against a right-handed pitcher for the second day in a row.
