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DETROIT – When Jayce Tingler walked to the mound after Kenta Maeda walked a batter with two outs in the fifth inning, lefthanded reliever Jovani Moran finished warming up and walked through the gate to enter the field.
Maeda didn’t budge.
Maeda shook his head as soon as he saw Tingler, who was the acting manager after Rocco Baldelli was ejected, and pleaded his case. He spent nearly two months on the injured list and he had no plans to exit before giving himself a chance to earn a winning decision.
Tingler left Maeda on the mound. Moran took a few steps on the warning track before realizing he needed to return to the bullpen. Maeda finished his stellar outing with a strikeout and a celebratory fist pump in the Twins’ 4-1 victory over the Tigers at Comerica Park.
It was Maeda’s first win since Aug. 14, 2021.
After recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2022, a 111 miles per hour comebacker to the ankle in April and finally a triceps strain, Maeda received the opportunity to finish what he started. In the fifth inning, Tigers leadoff hitter Zach McKinstry, who reached base twice vs. Maeda, represented the tying run when he came to the plate.
Maeda reached a 0-2 count and then looked upset with himself when he left a splitter in the strike zone that was fouled away. Maeda went back to his splitter on the next pitch, dropping it below the zone for the inning-ending punchout. Catcher Christian Vázquez let out a fist pump from behind the plate.
When Maeda, the 35-year-old righthander, required a trip on the IL for his triceps strain, he was more understanding than any other emotion. He’s not the first player to deal with a serious injury, he said, and it gave him more time to clean up his pitching mechanics.
The result: Maeda’s fastball was up by about 1 mph Friday from earlier this season. He struck out eight batters, three with his splitter, three with his slider and two with his fastball. The first two batters reached base against Maeda before he retired 12 of his next 13, including a double play to erase the threat in the first inning.
Reliever Brock Stewart helped preserve Maeda’s win with the way he pitched in the sixth inning. Stewart inherited two runners on base with one out, then the Tigers loaded the bases with an infield single. Stewart gave up one run on a line-drive single to right field before inducing Miguel Cabrera to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Twins hitters looked more comfortable in the batter’s box facing Detroit lefty Joey Wentz for the second time in six days. Royce Lewis homered on the first pitch he saw, a fastball down the middle, to leadoff the second inning.
Three batters later, Max Kepler lined a cutter above the yellow marking in right-center field for a two-run homer. It was Kepler’s third homer in his last four games.
The Twins had a chance to extend their lead in the sixth inning after Detroit center fielder Matt Vierling dropped a fly ball to load the bases with no outs. A run scored on a wild pitch, but the Twins failed to turn the game into a blowout with a groundout and two strikeouts looking.
One of the strikeouts was Michael A. Taylor, who was ejected for arguing after he was called out on strikes. Assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon was thrown out for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. Baldelli was tossed in the second inning arguing for a balk from the dugout, his second ejection in the last three days.
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