Parker Meadows didn't wait to electrify the crowd.

There was a postseason-like atmosphere for Wednesday's game between the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park, as the Tigers continue their postseason push. In the first inning, Meadows turned on a second-pitch slider from right-hander Zack Littell for a solo home run to right field.

The homer from Meadows propelled the Tigers to a 3-1 win over the Rays in the second of three games in the series. There were 32,463 fans in the stands.

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The Tigers (84-74) have won four games in a row and eight of nine games, plus a 29-11 record in their last 40 games. The latest win extends the lead to 2½ games in the American League wild-card race. The Tigers could clinch a spot in the postseason as early as Thursday, but everything depends on what happens to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday and Thursday.

After the Meadows homer, the Tigers extended their lead to 2-0 with Wenceel Pérez's RBI single. A double from Riley Greene set the table for Pérez, all with two outs.

Meadows and Greene, in particular, hit the ball hard against Littell. The homer from Meadows had a 109.6 mph exit velocity; the double from Greene had a 111.1 mph exit velocity.

Littell allowed three runs on seven hits and zero walks with seven strikeouts across 4⅔ innings, throwing 91 pitches. The veteran hadn't allowed a run in his last three starts, spanning 18 innings — and then he ran into the red-hot Tigers.

In the sixth inning, Spencer Torkelson put the Tigers ahead, 5-1, when he pulled a two-run-home run against right-handed reliever Manuel Rodríguez. He fouled four pitches in a row before hitting an eighth-pitch slider to left field.

Torkelson pummeled the ball 415 feet with a 108.3 mph exit velocity.

It was his 10th homer in 88 games.

An RBI double from Torkelson put the Tigers ahead, 6-1, in the eighth inning. He hit the ball down the third-base line. On the double, Zach McKinstry scored from first base. Later on, Dillon Dingler made it 7-1 with an RBI single.

Meadows led the Tigers with three hits, followed by two hits from Greene, two hits from Torkelson and two hits from Dingler.

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Jackson Jobe makes MLB debut

Right-hander Jackson Jobe, the top pitching prospect in baseball, entered out of the bullpen for the Tigers in the ninth inning, protecting a 7-1 advantage.

It was his MLB debut.

He retired three of the four batters he faced: Christopher Morel (groundout to third base), José Caballero (force out to shortstop) and Richie Palacios (flyout to center field). With one out, Ben Rortvedt smacked a 99 mph fastball for a single to center field.

Jobe ranks as the No. 6 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. All

Keider Montero starts

Right-hander Keider Montero pitched in his 18th game of the season, making his 16th start. The 24-year-old allowed one run on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts across 2⅔ innings, throwing 55 pitches.

Montero stranded two runners in the first inning, then he stranded the bases loaded in the second inning. In the third, he surrendered a solo home run to Junior Caminero on a first-pitch fastball.

The Tigers, though, picked up Montero in the bottom of the third inning, increasing their margin from 2-1 to 3-1. Greene scored Meadows from second base on a single to right field, thanks to an aggressive send from third-base coach Joey Cora.

Montero was pulled from the game with two outs in the third inning, replaced by left-handed reliever Sean Guenther. The Tigers swapped Montero for Guenther to match-up against upcoming left-handed hitters in the Rays' lineup.

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

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers ride rookies to 7-1 victory over Tampa Bay Rays