Story by
Detroit Tigers' Spencer Torkelson hits 2 homers in 11-7 win vs. Orioles in spring training
- Story by
- Detroit Tigers' Spencer Torkelson hits 2 homers in 11-7 win vs. Orioles in spring training
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers won, 11-7, against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Detroit is 6-6 in Grapefruit League play.
What happened
Spencer Torkelson hit two home runs, but the top prospects — center fielder Max Clark, shortstop Kevin McGonigle, designated hitter Josue Briceño — stole the show in their first games alongside MLB players in 2025 spring training. They were called up from minor league camp, only for the game.
Detroit Tigers infielder Spencer Torkelson works out from the first base during spring training at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025.
YOUNG BLOOD: MLB Pipeline ranks Detroit Tigers farm system No. 1 in baseball heading into 2025
Advertisement
For the in-game assignments, Clark backed up Ryan Kreidler in center field, McGonigle backed up Trey Sweeney at shortstop and Briceño backed up Torkelson at designated hitter.
Clark — the No. 6 prospect in baseball and the No. 2 prospect in the organization — produced a sacrifice fly in his first-ever plate appearance, making contact on a 95.1 mph sinker from Orioles right-handed reliever Félix Bautista in the fifth inning. He grounded out in the sixth inning.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) ]
IN THE ROTATION: Detroit Tigers' Keider Montero sets 'easy' goal for 2025, even if he starts in Triple-A
Advertisement
Starting off
Right-hander Keider Montero generated 12 whiffs on 24 swings for an elite 50% whiff rate, but as dominant as his individual pitches performed, his command led to struggles. He allowed four runs on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts across 2⅔ innings.
He threw just 31 of 55 pitches for strikes.
Montero surrendered all four runs in the first inning on an RBI single from Heston Kjerstad and a three-RBI triple from Samuel Basallo. Three of the four hits off Montero in the first were by left-handed hitters, including Kjerstad and Basallo.
He bounced back by retiring all three batters in the second and three of four batters in the third. After a leadoff walk, Montero struck out the next three batters — Kjerstad, Coby Mayo , Dylan Carlson — to complete his outing.
Advertisement
For his 12 whiffs, Montero got them with four sliders, three fastballs, three changeups, one curveball and one sinker. His fastball averaged 95 mph.
INJURY REPORT: Detroit Tigers pitching depth takes hit: Ty Madden suffers right shoulder strain
At the plate
The Tigers torched Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer for six runs.
Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, smacked a 93 mph four-seam fastball — located up-and-away in the strike zone — for a solo home run the opposite way to right field in the second inning. He hit the ball 342 feet with a 98.5 mph exit velocity.
But Torkelson wasn't done.
Advertisement
He also turned on an 83 mph splitter that Kremer left up in the strike zone, unloading for a pull-side solo home run to left field in the fourth inning. He hit the ball 382 feet with a 102 mph exit velocity.
Gleyber Torres also hit a two-run home run off Kremer, doing so in the first inning.
Before Torres' homer, Riley Greene snapped an 0-for-9 stretch (with two walks and seven strikeouts) by hitting a line-drive single the opposite way to left field in the first inning. Going to the opposite field is a sign Greene is heating up, which is exactly what happened.
Greene had three hits in three trips to the plate.
Advertisement
On the mound
Right-hander Casey Mize dominated.
The 2018 No. 1 overall pick tossed three scoreless innings on one hit and one walk with five strikeouts. More notably, Mize also generated 11 whiffs on 19 swings, including six whiffs on six swings with his splitter.
His splitter was the best it has been since his college days at Auburn.
Mize threw 21 of 35 pitches for strikes, then simulated a fourth inning in the bullpen to complete his workload requirements. His fastball averaged 95.6 mph.
Three stars
1. Torkelson; 2. Mize; 3. Torres.
Next up
Saturday (1:07 p.m., no TV) vs. Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin.
Advertisement
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers batter Baltimore Orioles, 11-7, in spring training
