Detroit Tigers: Jarrod Saltalamacchia Strikes Again

Jarrod Saltalamacchia does it again as his two-run blast in the eight inning gave the Tigers a 4-3 win against the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.

Don’t let his .191 batting average fool you. If the game is on the line and a big hit is needed, Jarrod Saltalamacchia has proven to be the guy the Detroit Tigers want at the plate.

He did it again, this time off the Chicago White Sox’ hard-thrower Nate Jones. Salty’s two-run bomb gave the Tigers a 4-3 advantage in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Francisco Rodriguez then came in and worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning against the top of the Sox lineup, and the Tigers were able to gain ground in the race for the second wildcard spot.

Saltalamacchia is no stranger to a clutch long-ball this season, as Monday night’s bomb was the seventh time he’s given the Tigers a go-ahead knock.

Saltalamacchia’s heroics began in just the second game of the ’16 campaign. Against his former team, Salty tagged Miami Marlins starter Jose Fernandez for a two-run blast in the second inning. The previous inning, Dee Gordon was caught attempting to steal second base. Salty’s perfect throw nailed the two-time National League stolen base leader.

When starting catcher James McCann went down in April with an ankle injury, Salty saw both his workload and productivity increase. He finished the month with a poor .214 average, but he did blast six home runs in 17 games played. The biggest of all was the go-ahead, sixth inning grand slam against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 13. Thanks to the 100th homer of his career, the Tigers won 7-3.

Saltalamacchia has brought Tiger fans to their feet many times this season, often proving to be the most-clutch hitter in the lineup.

On July 17, former Tiger Joakim Soria surrendered a two-run walk-off homer to Saltalamacchia that concluded a wild 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Exactly one week later, Nick Castellanos, Tyler Collins, and then Salty hit three solo shots in the ninth against Sox closer David Robertson to erase a 4-1 deficit. The Tigers ended up losing 5-4, but the backup catcher came up again with a huge, game-changing hit.

When the season began, McCann was deemed the everyday starter with Saltalamacchia serving as his backup. McCann’s sophomore slump has given manager Brad Ausmus the option to platoon the two starters. Ausmus has handled the catching situation well, as both players have gotten an equal amount of playing time. Saltalamacchia has started 76 games against McCann’s 82.

McCann and Saltalamacchia combine for a weak slash line of .205/.288/.389, but both have at least 11 long balls and 35 runs driven in.

As a backup catcher, the signing of Saltalamacchia seems to have gone under the radar. On top of the power numbers, he has walked sixteen more times than the starter McCann (35 to McCann’s 19).

Some players just have a feel for the late-inning heroics and Jarrod Saltalamacchia has proven to be that guy for the Detroit Tigers.

Next: Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago White Sox: Series Game Times, TV Schedule Live Stream

The Tigers could definitely take advantage of the clutch bat on their bench as they gear up for the final month of regular season play.