Valdez dominated, pitching six scoreless innings while Dingler's bomb ignited the Tigers' offense in their triumphant 4-0 home opener victory.
DETROIT, MI: A.J. Hinch pulled the trigger early for rookie Kevin McGonigle, having him bat leadoff and he rewarded his manager's faith, going 1-for-4 on the day on the heels of a strong start from Framber Valdez as Detroit won their home opener 4-0.
Valdez worked six innings, allowing no runs and keeping the Cardinals off-balance throughout his outing. He struck out Iván Herrera in the first and navigated around a pair of threats, including stranding two runners in the third inning when he got a force out to end the frame. The Cardinals mustered traffic here and there, but Valdez limited the damage each time. He departed after the sixth having given Detroit exactly what it needed: length, efficiency and a clean line on the scoreboard.
It was Valdez's second quality start of the season and the fifth by Tigers pitching overall. Tarik Skubal has contributed two of those, and Casey Mize just had one back on Tuesday in Arizona.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, sent Michael McGreevy to the mound, and he kept things manageable early before the Tigers got to him in the fourth and fifth innings.
Detroit broke through in the bottom of the fourth in memorable fashion. Riley Greene led the way, doubling to right field to open the inning. Dillon Dingler followed with a swing that sailed 433 feet to left center, a two-run home run that gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead. It was Dingler's second home run of the season and gave Detroit the breathing room Valdez's performance deserved.
Greene's double in that sequence carried additional significance beyond the two runs it helped produce. It was the 500th career hit for the 25-year-old outfielder, making him the 20th player in Detroit Tigers history aged 25 or under to reach that milestone.
The Tigers added a third run in the fifth inning. McGonigle doubled to lead off the frame, and after some maneuvering on the bases, including a pitching change that brought in Justin Bruihl, Kerry Carpenter singled, and then Greene drove home Gleyber Torres with an RBI single to make it 3-0. McGreevy did not finish the inning, and the Cardinals' bullpen was left to manage the deficit from there.
Detroit tacked on a fourth run in the sixth inning without needing a hit. Parker Meadows was hit by a pitch and promptly stole second base. A moment later, Báez singled to left, scoring Meadows and pushing the lead to 4-0.
The bullpen handled the final three innings without much drama. Will Vest, Kyle Finnegan, and Tyler Holton combined to keep St. Louis off the board.
On the Cardinals' side, the day was largely frustrating. St. Louis managed only scattered singles and could not find a way to string anything together against Valdez or the Tigers' relievers.
For Detroit, the home opener in front of a sellout crowd against a rebuilding team like the Cardinals was perhaps what Detroit needed. Hinch mentioned, and it's easy to forget this is the first time the Tigers have been "home" since before spring training.
The pitching was sharp, the defense was sound, the offense did its damage in concentrated bursts, scoring in back to back innings for the first time this season. The Tigers will look to carry the momentum into the next game of the series as Jack Flaherty takes on his old team on Saturday against right-hander Dustin May.
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