This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Dillon Dingler hit his first major league home run, Matt Vierling added a solo shot and the Detroit Tigers salvaged one win in a three-game series by beating the host San Francisco Giants 5-4 on Sunday.
Tyler Holton, Brenan Hanifee and Will Vest combined for four innings of two-hit, shutout relief, allowing the Tigers to go 3-3 on a six-game road trip.
After Vierling hit San Francisco starter Hayden Birdsong’s sixth pitch of the game for his 14th homer of the season and the Giants countered with two runs in their half of the first, the Tigers went up 3-2 in the second when Dingler smacked a two-run shot.
Dingler, a rookie, was playing in just his seventh big-league game and had only three hits in 22 plate appearances entering Sunday.
Dingler and Vierling also were at the heart of a two-run fifth that increased the visitors’ lead to 5-2. Dingler led off with a double and scored on a double by Vierling, who in turn jogged home from third on a two-out single by Colt Keith.
Seeking a fifth straight win, the Giants got within 5-4 in the sixth on an RBI single by Matt Chapman and a run-scoring double by Jerar Encarnacion.
San Francisco then had a golden opportunity to at least draw even in the eighth after Chapman led off with his third hit of the day, a triple. But Chapman was gunned down at home on Mark Canha’s grounder to short, and Canha was thrown out at third on a comebacker by Patrick Bailey, short-circuiting a potential rally.
Vest worked around a two-out walk in the ninth for his first save of the year.
Tigers starter Keider Montero (3-5) survived a pair of two-run innings to get the win. He allowed all four Giants runs in his five-plus frames, serving up five hits and four walks. He struck out two.
Birdsong (3-2) took the loss, charged with five runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Dingler and Vierling each finished with two hits, two RBIs and two runs for the Tigers, who outhit the hosts 9-7.
Chapman’s three hits included a two-run single in the first. He totaled three RBIs. Tyler Fitzgerald added two hits for the Giants.
–Field Level Media
