Riley Greene, Dillon Dingler power Tigers past cellar-dweller Rockies

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on Sep 11, 2026

Published in Baseball

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DETROIT — Riley Greene just wouldn’t give in.

It was a 1-1 game in the sixth inning. There were two outs and Gleyber Torres was on first. It looked like lefty reliever Mark Manfredi had Greene struck out when home plate umpire Ron Kulpa went up with his right hand on a 2-2 fastball.

Greene, who rarely uses a challenge, tapped his head. The replay showed the pitch was outside. Given new life, Greene fouled off three straight 93-mph four-seam fastballs. The fourth one, and the ninth pitch of the at-bat, jumped off his bat at 111.4 mph and flew 420 feet toward the shrubbery beyond the center-field wall.

It didn’t quite clear the wall, but it ended up a run-scoring triple that ignited a four-run inning and sent the Tigers to a 6-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday at Comerica Park.

That’s three wins in four games for the Tigers.

Dillon Dingler, who hadn’t homered since Aug. 6, followed, lining the first pitch from right-handed reliever Nick Frasso into the seats in left, his long-awaited 27th.

Rookie Max Clark, whose homer off Rockies starter Mason Adams in the fifth tied the game, made Frasso pay for hitting him with a pitch. He stole second and scored on two straight wild pitches.

Greene ended up a homer shy of the cycle after he doubled in another run in the eighth.

Lefty starter Framber Valdez produced his second straight quality start, scattering six singles over six innings with only an unearned run on his ledger.

That unearned run scored in the fifth inning. The same inning the Tigers threw out two runners at the plate. Add that to the ever-growing collection of oddities from this misbegotten baseball season.

The Rockies had runners at first and third with no outs against Valdez, who had cruised through the first four innings. The Rockies misexecuted a safety squeeze play for the first out.

Ezequiel Tovar bunted it firmly back to a charging Valdez. Troy Johnston, the runner at third, read it poorly and was an easy out at the plate.

Next hitter, Jake McCarthy lined a single to right field. Zach McKinstry charged the ball and threw a 92.5-mph short-hopped throw to catcher Dillon Dingler. Dingler picked it and made the tag on Jordan Beck for the second out.

It was McKinstry’s eighth assist from right field, third most in the American League.

Huge play in a scoreless game. But Valdez loaded the bases with a two-out walk and third baseman Kevin McGonigle muffed a ground ball hit by Cole Carrigg, the run scoring on the error.

The Rockies turned two infield hits and two ground-ball outs into a run in the ninth off Brant Hurter. Kenley Jansen had to be summoned to get the final out, which he did to earn his 19th save (495 for his career).