Detroit Tigers, Game 49: One thing I loved, one thing I didn't

The News' Tony Paul gives his quick takes on the Tigers' 4-3 loss to the Guardians on Tuesday: One thing I loved Some guys watch "Rocky" to pump themselves up. Well, maybe Spencer Torkelson decided to give "Bring It On" a look. Torkelson decided to be, be aggressive his first time up against the Guardians on Tuesday, teeing off on a first-pitch fastball from Parker Messick for a two-run home run.

Torkelson has battled a case of the passives in 2026. Coming into Tuesday's game, Torkelson had swung at the first pitch just 41 times; he'd taken the first pitch 144 times. That pitch from Messick was just the 10th time he's put a first pitch in play, and his two hits are home runs.

Torkelson's 380-foot shot to left, on a 92-mph fastball off the inside corner, was his seventh homer of the season, but his first since May 3. His previous six homers came in an 11-game span from April 22-May 3. In the 11 games since that power surgery, entering Tuesday, Torkelson had hit just .

109 with an OPS of . 381. Here's one more interesting stat, courtesy of the Detroit SportsNet research team on the Tuesday broadcast: That was the first time Torkelson has homered on a pitch that wasn't a strike since Aug.