Detroit Tigers right-hander Keider Montero threw a complete game shutout in Tuesday's 11-0 win over the Colorado Rockies to open a three-game series at Comerica Park.

He needed just 96 pitches.

The Tigers rolled the Rockies, thanks to four runs in the second inning and six runs in the sixth inning. But Montero stole the show in the blowout victory with his near perfection on the mound, facing the minimum 27 batters.

"I was over the clouds," Montero said. "I'm very proud and happy for all the work we performed today."

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The Tigers (74-71) have won three games in a row but remain three games behind the Minnesota Twins for the third and final spot in the American League wild card, with 17 games remaining. (The Twins hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tigers if the two teams end the season with the same record.)

Montero became the first Tiger to throw a complete game since Spencer Turnbull's no-hitter in May 2021 and the first Tiger to face the minimum batters since Justin Verlander's no-hitter in May 2011. He also became the first Tiger to throw a Maddux — a complete game shutout on fewer than 100 pitches, named after Hall of Famer Greg Maddux — since David Price on June 12, 2015.

"He has the weapons to be able to be an effective major league starter," manager A.J. Hinch said. "It's been on display before. This is not his first good game. It's just his first complete game shutout, which is the special one."

The Rockies — aggressive in their swing decisions despite being prone to chasing pitches — were limited to three baserunners, all of which were erased on double plays.

Ryan McMahon singled to begin the second inning, but Brendan Rodgers grounded into an inning-ending double play. Ezequiel Tovar singled with one out in the seventh inning, but Brenton Doyle grounded into an inning-ending double play. Aaron Schunk singled to start the eighth inning, but Michael Toglia lined into a double play.

In the ninth inning, Montero retired Sam Hilliard (line out), Hunter Goodman (groundout) and Jordan Beck (strikeout) to end the game. He struck out Beck with a down-and-in curveball.

Montero finished with zero walks and five strikeouts.

"Very important," Montero said in Spanish, interpreted by interpreted by Carlos Guillén, who works as the Tigers' manager of Spanish communication and broadcasting. "As soon as I sat down in the top of the ninth, I checked on myself and said, 'You got to keep doing the same job.' I noticed that I was like 18 to 20 pitches shy of 100, so I knew I had to go back for the ninth."

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Montero owns a 4.88 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) in his MLB career, following his debut in late May. He hadn't pitched beyond the seventh inning before Tuesday's complete game.

For his 96 pitches, Montero threw 14 pitches in the first inning, 11 in the second, 16 in the third, five in the fourth, eight in the fifth, seven in the sixth, 12 in the seventh, 10 in the eighth and 13 in the ninth.

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He generated 17 whiffs on 52 swings — a 32.7% whiff rate — on five fastballs, six sliders, five curveballs and one changeup. He primarily used his fastball, slider and curveball.

Catcher Jake Rogers called pitches.

"It looked like he was in rhythm," Hinch said. "His timing was good. The spin, he would throw a good one, he would miss with one, and then he would come back with a good breaking ball. Multiple speeds and shapes of breaking balls were effective. Fastball was good. He mixed in a couple of changeups, especially late. He has a lot that the hitter has to deal with, but rhythm is such a big deal for him. That's easier said than done, but he found it and never lost it."

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Parker Meadows stays hot

Parker Meadows continued his success at the plate in the first inning, hitting a solo home run to right field off right-hander Bradley Blalock when he turned on a second-pitch fastball. It was the first leadoff homer of his MLB career.

The homer put the Tigers ahead, 1-0.

"I treated it like any other game and treated him like any other pitcher," Meadows said. "Just trying to be aggressive early. He left one over the plate, and I was able to take advantage of it."

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Meadows and Blalock were teammates at Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia, with Meadows as the No. 44 overall pick in 2018 and Blalock as the No. 977 overall pick in 2019.

"I gave him a little nod before I stepped in the box," Meadows said.

The Tigers only needed one run, but they scored four runs in the second inning and six runs in the sixth inning.

Meadows finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two walks. Riley Greene tossed in a 2-for-3 performance with three RBIs, one walk and one strikeout. Meanwhile, Matt Vierling and Andy Ibáñez drove in two runs apiece.

In his last 33 games, Meadows is hitting .313 with nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, 10 walks and 29 strikeouts, spanning 142 plate appearances. His season-long OPS has climbed from .443 to .745 during the 33-game stretch.

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

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Keider Montero throws complete game as Tigers roll Rockies in 11-0 win