Dillon Dingler blasts grand slam in rout of A’s

The Tigers could have DH’d either Greene or Dingler, but it’s Hao-Yu Lee in that spot after he played second base in the first game today. Greene just came off the IL on Tuesday, so two games in a day probably isn’t appropriate right now. Dingler is struggling mightily at the plate, so he’s DH’d just once in the last few weeks.

Valencia gets a look behind the plate for Saturday afternoon’s matinee in the Motor City with Dillon Dingler getting a break from the field at DH. The 26-year-old rookie backstop has cooled off in recent weeks, but he’s still hitting .333 (24-for-72) with six homers and 17 RBI in 25 games since early July.

It’s no secret that Dingler’s hot bat has cooled off in recent weeks. He got a base hit in Saturday’s loss to the Royals to break an 0-for-10 streak and then received the day off on Sunday. Back in the lineup Monday, Dingler had another single. The Rays and the Dodgers aren’t great matchups for Tigers hitters this week, but Dingler is due to break out of his slump and has at least shown some signs that his bat might be waking up in his last two games.

Dingler has been really struggling at the dish lately, slashing a woeful .071/.148/.107 with zero homers, four RBI and a 14/4 K/BB ratio over 61 plate appearances in his last 14 games, so giving him a day off to clear his head makes plenty of sense. Eduardo Valencia will do the catching for the Tigers and bat cleanup against Daniel Lynch IV and the Royals on Sunday afternoon in Kansas City.

Valencia has been a sneaky impactful fantasy contributor this season, hitting .389 (21-for-54) with six homers and 17 RBI in 19 games. He’s not going to deliver a ton of volume with All-Star backstop Dillon Dingler firmly entrenched as Detroit’s starting catcher, but he’s worthy of a roster spot in most fantasy leagues, especially two-catcher formats.

Dingler only had one hit in this contest, but it was a big one. With the Tigers leading 2-0 in the seventh inning, Dingler lined an RBI double to left field that scored Kevin McGonigle. Dingler then came in to score on Eduardo Valencia’s pinch hit two-run double. He’s the fifth player this season to reach 80 RBI and the first catcher. Dingler is hitting .275 with an .870 OPS.

Dingler got the Tigers on the board in the top half of the first inning, clobbering a 2-1 cutter from Bryce Miller for a 401-foot (101.3-mph EV) two-run blast that gave the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish. He also added an RBI single in the third inning and another knock in the seventh. The 27-year-old backstop homered in all three games against the Mariners in Seattle. Dingler is quietly having an MVP-caliber season for the Tigers, slashing .278/.341/.536 with the aforementioned 26 long balls and 78 RBI while playing Gold Glove defense behind the plate.

He’s the first Tigers catcher to hit 25 homers since Mickey Tettleton did it three straight years from 1991-93. Dingler’s homer came after Gleyber Torres was intentionally plunked by Gabe Speier and gave the Tigers their only runs in a 4-2 loss. Dingler has three homers in his last five games and is batting .333/.407/.625 with six homers in the 18 games since the All-Star break.

Dingler strolled to the dish with a man on second base and two outs in the eighth inning with the score knotted up at three runs apiece. The All-Star backstop fell behind 1-2 against Steven Cruz before lining a slider into the left field corner to plate Hao-Yu Lee with the go-ahead run. Dingler also singled, drew a walk and scored in the ballgame, finishing the night 2-for-3. He’s having an exceptional season at the dish, slashing .274/.339/.537 with 22 homers and 66 RBI in 391 plate appearances.

Dingler’s homer off Aaron Civale in the ninth gave the Tigers’ their only runs in the 11-2 loss, but it wasn’t far off from being a two-homer game; his 362-foot shot to left in the second would have been a homer in 23 ballparks and likely would have gone out in Wrigley if the wind hadn’t been blowing in. Dingler has 22 homers and 65 RBI in 92 games on the season.