Detroit Tigers' Jake Rogers launches two home runs in 5-3 win to sweep Los Angeles Angels

After Sunday's action, Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers is up to 19 home runs in 99 games.

The 28-year-old, who missed the entire 2022 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, racked up Nos. 18 and 19 in the second and third innings of Sunday's 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.

The Tigers (70-79) swept the Angels in three games, extending their winning streak to four games. The bromming kickstarts a 10-game California road trip that continues just up Interstate 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers (Monday-Wednesday) and ends against the Oakland Athletics (Thursday-Sunday).

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The Angels scratched left-hander Reid Detmers from Sunday's start because of an illness, forcing a bullpen game. The Tigers were shut down by right-hander Jimmy Herget in the first inning but jumped out to a 1-0 lead against left-hander Kenny Rosenberg in the second.

Rogers crushed Rosenberg's elevated changeup with a 107.4 mph exit velocity for a 399-foot solo home run to left field in the second. It was his first of two homers with two outs.

Rosenberg ended up eating five innings.

A four-run third inning extended the Tigers' lead to 5-0.

The first three batters — Parker Meadows (walk), Matt Vierling (single) and Andy Ibáñez (walk) — reached safely to load the bases. Spencer Torkelson popped out, but Kerry Carpenter grounded to first to score Meadows for a 2-0 advantage.

Rogers then beat Rosenberg again, but this time, three runs were driven in on the swing. With two outs, Rogers drove a first-pitch fastball with a 100.9 mph exit velocity for a 373-foot three-run homer to right-center.

The two homers traveled a combined 772 feet.

Starting scoreless

The Tigers used right-handed reliever Miguel Díaz as a one-inning opener for Sunday's game.

David Fletcher (single) and Brandon Drury (walk) reached safely with one out, but Díaz worked out of the potential jam. Jared Walsh grounded out, and Logan O'Hoppe struck out swinging, chasing a fastball outside of the strike zone.

Díaz joined the Tigers on Sept. 1 from Triple-A Toledo, after pitching 57 innings in 49 games with the Mud Hens. He has a 0.00 ERA with two walks and nine strikeouts across 6⅔ innings in seven big-league games.

A better Wentz

Left-hander Joey Wentz, normally a starter who has struggled this season, entered in the second inning and sent down the first eight batters he faced before walking O'Hoppe with two outs in the fourth inning.

Randal Grichuk ripped a double to put two runners in scoring position. Wentz stranded both runners, though, when his curveball got Eduardo Escobar to hit into an inning-ending groundout.

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Wentz leaned on his curve throughout his 4⅓ innings. He allowed three runs on five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts, throwing 52 of 74 pitches for strikes to pick up his third win in 14 decisions.

He used 30 four-seam fastballs (40.5%), 17 curveballs (23%), 14 changeups (18.9%) and 13 cutters (17.6%). Coming into Sunday, Wentz had only thrown his curve 15.2% of the time in his first 22 games. His 12 whiffs came from three fastballs, five curves and four cutters.

The Angels scored for the first time in the fifth inning on back-to-back hits from Nolan Schanuel (double) and Fletcher (single) with two outs. Fletcher hit Wentz's first-pitch changeup to drive in Schanuel.

In the sixth inning, Grichuk reached below the strike zone to attack a two-strike changeup for a two-run home run. His 15th homer of 2023 cut the Tigers' lead to 5-3 and chased Wentz from his outing.

Right-handed reliever José Cisnero struck out consecutive batters to end the sixth inning. Left-hander Tyler Holton (1⅓ innings), right-hander Jason Foley (⅔ innings) and right-hander Alex Lange (one inning) finished the game.

Lange notched his 24th save, less than 24 hours after blowing a save on Saturday night (and picking up the victory).

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers hammer L.A. Angels, 5-3, for series sweep