Dillon Dingler Is Making His Case When It Matters Most
The Ohio State product has a habit of showing up in the box score during Detroit's most important games of the season — and in a week where the Tigers desperately needed production, Dingler delivered.
On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the catcher drove in two runs as Detroit cruised past the Minnesota Twins 7-2, with Colt Keith providing the big swing and Dingler doing the dirty work behind it. Two days later on Friday, Sept. 11, Dingler went deep against the Colorado Rockies — one of two Tigers home runs on the night — while adding two RBIs in a commanding 6-2 win. Back-to-back multi-RBI performances in a five-day window is the kind of stretch-run production that earns roster decisions.
And sure enough, it did. Ahead of the Twins series, manager A.J. Hinch made a notable change to his lineup construction, announcing a decision centered on Dingler — a signal that the former Buckeye has locked down a meaningful role in Detroit's September roster. The Tigers, sitting at 66-79 after dropping a 3-2 game to Minnesota on Tuesday, are outside the playoff picture, but the internal evaluation happening in these final weeks is no less real. For a young catcher trying to cement his standing with the organization, this week was a résumé builder.
Dingler's batting average held at .246 through the stretch — not a flashy number, but his production in run-generating situations tells a more complete story.
Around the Rest of the Buckeye Board
Dominic Canzone had a quietly productive week for the Seattle Mariners, reaching base multiple times across a string of games against Oakland and Texas. The DH recorded hits in four separate contests between Sept. 6 and Sept. 12, including a two-hit performance against the Rangers on Sept. 9 and a pair of hits against Oakland on Sept. 12. He finished the week batting .255 — steady production for a Mariners team managing the back end of its own season.
Ryan Feltner took the mound for Colorado against the New York Yankees on Thursday, Sept. 10, going five innings while allowing four earned runs and striking out two. The right-hander's ERA sits at 5.88, and a matchup against Max Fried and the Yankees was always going to be a tough assignment. Feltner gave the Rockies length when they needed it, even if the results didn't go his way.
The others on the Ohio State alumni ledger — Jacob Bosiokovic, Archer Brookman, Zach Dezenzo, Seth Lonsway, Andrew Magno, and Jack Neely — did not surface with notable statistical activity during this period.
The headline story from the Buckeye contingent this week belongs squarely to Dingler. In a Tigers season that has gone sideways, the Columbus product is writing one of the more encouraging footnotes: a young catcher, hitting with purpose, earning trust from his manager when the calendar reads September.
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