Tigers fall to Minnesota Twins despite home run from Kevin McGonigle

The Detroit Tigers added another game to their pile of one-run losses this season.

Despite a multi-RBI game from shortstop Kevin McGonigle, the Tigers lost 3-2 to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Comerica Park in Detroit. The loss drops the Tigers to 66-79 with 17 regular season games left.

Tigers starter Drew Anderson allowed three runs in 5⅓ innings, two outs away from recording his longest start of the season. A two-run home run from Twins second baseman Kody Clemens in the sixth inning, however, put the Twins up 3-2 and ended Anderson’s night.

The Tigers got an opposite-field home run from McGonigle in the fifth inning that gave them a 2-1 lead, their first of the game. Another long shot from McGonigle in the eighth inning threatened to tie the game at 3-3, but fell just a few feet short of landing in the right-field stands. He finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, marking his 36th multi-hit game of the season, trailing Riley Greene (37) for the most on the team.

McGonigle was the only Tiger to record an RBI on Tuesday night, however, as Detroit’s bats fell cold on the warm night.

On the mound: Drew Anderson settles in

Anderson walked two batters and loaded the bases with one out in a 28-pitch first inning. He escaped after allowing just one run, however, on a sacrifice fly from Twins designated hitter Josh Bell before striking out first baseman Royce Lewis to end the inning. 

After allowing a leadoff double to right fielder Luke Keaschall in the third inning, Anderson got some help from left fielder Brett Callahan, who threw out Keaschall trying to take third on a flyout from third baseman Brooks Lee. 

Bretty nice play pic.twitter.com/zGgaJyVinE

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 8, 2026

Anderson got some more defensive help with a double play off the bat of Bell in the fourth inning before turning in a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. The righty faced the minimum from innings 2-5 while that lone run hung on the scoreboard, but the Tigers offense wasn’t supporting its starter with runs early on. 

And when Anderson was finally spotted a lead after McGonigle’s home run in the fifth inning, he gave it up just as quickly, with the two-run homer from Clemens in the sixth giving the lead back to Minnesota. That was the end for Anderson, who allowed three runs on four hits while striking out four batters and walking three.

Righty Beau Brieske relieved Anderson in the sixth and got the final two outs while also pitching a scoreless seventh inning. Lefty Brant Hurter then came in for his first appearance since May 22 and got three outs on nine pitches in the eighth inning, the final one on a diving catch from left fielder Ben Malgeri, before being pulled with one out in the ninth.

At the plate: McGonigle and not much else

The Tigers began the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles, the first from McGonigle (on a 10-pitch at-bat) and the second from second baseman Gleyber Torres. First baseman Colt Keith then laced a line drive to first base, but Lewis snagged the ball in the air and doubled up McGonigle at second base, halting Detroit’s first-inning momentum before a Greene strikeout ended the inning.

That was all the offense the Tigers could muster until the bottom of the fifth inning, when a two-out single from right fielder Zach McKinstry and McGonigle’s home run suddenly gave Detroit a 2-1 lead. It was McGonigle’s 16th home run and 62nd RBI of the season, marking his second game in a row with a home run.

Kevin McGonigle puts the @Tigers in front! pic.twitter.com/RLBHNFvwUs

— MLB (@MLB) September 8, 2026

A leadoff walk from Malgeri, pinch-hitting for Brett Callahan in the bottom of the seventh, turned into an opportunity to tie the game with no outs when Malgeri stole second base and took third on a wild throw from Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. But center fielder Max Clark grounded out with the infield in, third baseman Hao-Yu Lee struck out and McKinstry lined out Clemens in left field, stranding Malgeri at third and ending the threat.

Next up: Minnesota one last time

Tigers righty Keider Montero (9-8, 3.52 ERA) will face Twins righty Zebby Matthews (9-9, 4.69 ERA) in the final matchup of the season between the Twins and the Tigers at Comerica Park on Wednesday, Sept. 9. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET with the game televised on Detroit SportsNet.

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You can reach Christian at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers fall to Minnesota Twins despite home run from Kevin McGonigle