League date: July 31, 2027

PHOENIX, AZ — The Detroit Tigers needed some momentum to close out July after hitting a bump late in the month. They found it with their power, launching four home runs to pull away from the Arizona Diamondbacks for a 7-2 victory at Chase Field.

Tigers starter Framber Valdez earned his eighth victory of the season after allowing two runs on eight hits over 5⅔ innings. Despite the final margin, the outcome remained very much in doubt until Detroit broke the game open over the final two innings.

Arizona struck first when Corbin Carroll lifted a sacrifice fly to center in the first inning, scoring Ketel Marte from third. D’Backs ace Brandon Woodruff kept Detroit quiet through three innings before Kerry Carpenter connected on a fastball for a two-run homer to right, giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

Full standings as of July 31st

Marte answered with a leadoff homer off Valdez in the fifth to tie the game 2-2, but the left-hander recovered to retire the next three batters. Detroit reclaimed the lead for good in the sixth when Colt Keith crushed a 432-foot solo homer to dead center for a 3-2 advantage.

Once Woodruff departed, Arizona’s bullpen couldn’t keep the game close. Riley Greene added a solo homer in the eighth before Josh Lowe delivered a two-run shot in the ninth. Javier Báez added an RBI as Detroit erupted for three runs in the final inning, putting away the Diamondbacks and closing July with a convincing win.

As it stands…

The Tigers (65-47) will close out July with just a one game lead over Cleveland (64-48) who crushed the Angels 13-0 in their July finale. The Guardians finished the month winners of 6 of their last 10 while the Tigers went 4-6 over their final 10 games. The two teams face off one final time mid-August in a 3-game series at Comerica Park.