Brant Hurter Continues to Thrive in Unique Role for Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are getting the most out of Brant Hurter in his unique role on the pitching staff

Sep 1, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Brant Hurter (48) pitches in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers were able to secure another win on Saturday afternoon, as they continue to try and hang on to their Wild Card hopes. 

This was always going to be a tough week for the Tigers, as a West Coast trip is never easy for a team. Also, they knew that they would be facing a likely playoff team in the San Diego Padres to start things off,

To start the week and the trip, the Padres were able to take two out of three games from Detroit, which has put a lot of pressure on them to win the series against the Oakland Athletics. 

Tarik Skubal wasn’t at his best on Friday, but he didn’t get a lot of support from the bullpen, as the Tigers lost in 13 innings. Losing when Skubal is on the mound has been rare this season, but luckily Detroit bounced back on Saturday. 

Brant Hurter pitched a very good game for the Tigers in his normal role after the opener, as he picked up his fourth win of the season. Against Oakland, Hurter pitched 5.1 innings and only allowed one run on four hits. 

Hurter’s ability to eat as many innings as he does on a limited pitch count has been impressive, and he is starting to really thrive in the Majors. In his last two appearances, Hurter has picked up two wins and has an ERA of just 2.75. 

While he has certainly pitched well of late, in the last 30 days his numbers are pretty solid as well, as he has totaled three wins and a 3.65 ERA during that span. 

Even though Hurter hasn’t been a traditional starter for the Tigers, he has essentially been producing like one. The Tigers have done a nice job setting him up for success after using an opener. 

Detroit has leaned heavily on their pitching all season and now Hurter can be added to the list of contributors for them this season. Getting the win on Saturday was really important for the Tigers to get back over the .500 mark and give themselves a chance to win the series against the Athletics. 

If Detroit is able to win on Sunday, they will have went .500 on the West Coast trip overall, which would be considered a win. Also, they are getting a nice day off before hosting the Colorado Rockies at home.