Rangers 10, Tigers 4: Josh Hamilton belted a three-run homer to highlight an eight-run first inning and Matt Harrison tossed 7 2/3 solid frames as visiting Texas seized its eighth straight triumph by winning the opener of a doubleheader.
Mike Napoli homered for the fifth straight game and Ian Kinsler ripped a two-run triple in the first inning for Texas, which has outscored Detroit 20-7 in the first two contests of the four-game series.
The lone negative for the Rangers came in the second inning as Adrian Beltre exited the contest after straining his left hamstring while legging out a double.
Hamilton started the onslaught early by depositing an inside sinker from Rick Porcello (1-1) halfway up the right field bleachers for his sixth homer of the season.
After Nelson Cruz drove in a run and Mitch Moreland added a two-run single to extend the lead to 6-0, Kinsler belted a hanging slider over the head of center fielder Austin Jackson to cap the first-inning uprising.
Staked to an offensive explosion, Harrison (3-0) allowed three runs on six hits and struck out six to secure the win. He retired his first nine batters before Jackson snapped an 0-for-16 skid with a homer to lead off the fourth.
Porcello yielded nine runs on 10 hits in one inning to take the loss. He became the first starting pitcher to surrender eight earned runs while getting just three outs since Jose Lima - 10 years ago to the day.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Miguel Cabrera had three hits - including a two-run homer off Koji Uehara in the eighth inning. ... Tigers ace Justin Verlander (1-1) will take the mound against Rangers right-hander Neftali Feliz (1-0) in the nightcap. ... Detroit permitted its most runs in the first inning since the Seattle Mariners recorded a nine-run frame on July 30, 2003.
Texas | Detroit | |
Matt Harrison | Player | Rick Porcello |
Win | W/L | Loss |
7.2 | IP | 1.0 |
6 | Strikeouts | 1 |
6 | Hits | 10 |
3.52 | ERA | 72.00 |
Texas | Detroit | |
Adrian Beltre | Player | Miguel Cabrera |
2 | Hits | 3 |
0 | RBI | 2 |
0 | HR | 1 |
3 | TB | 6 |
1.000 | Avg | .750 |