Tigers 12, Athletics 2: Miguel Cabrera homered twice and drove in six runs as host Detroit survived Max Scherzer’s early exit and cruised past Oakland.

Scherzer, who leads the majors with 224 strikeouts, left after the second inning with shoulder fatigue. The bullpen picked up the slack as five different relievers combined to allow one run in seven innings, with Darin Downs (2-1) getting credit for the win for the Tigers, who remained three games back of the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central.

A.J. Griffin (6-1) was knocked around for five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings to suffer his first major-league loss for the Athletics, who remained three games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West and have a half-game edge for the top wild card spot.

Scherzer surrendered a run in the first but Detroit got that back in the bottom of the frame on Cabrera’s sacrifice fly and took the lead on Jhonny Peralta’s solo homer in the second. Cabrera made it a 3-1 gap with his career-high 39th blast - a towering shot down the left field line off a hanging curveball from Griffin.

Prince Fielder tucked a two-run homer into the first row in right as the Tigers piled on in the fifth. Cabrera turned the game into a blowout and continued his MVP campaign in the eighth, following three straight singles by taking Jesse Chavez out to deep left-center for his third career grand slam - and Detroit's first of the year.

GAME NOTEBOOK: An MRI exam on Scherzer showed no structural damage. Scherzer, who said it's possible he could make his next start, will not throw for a few days before being re-evaluated. Tigers OF Quinton Berry also left with an injured shoulder in the eighth inning. … Cabrera has hit safely in eight straight games and has homered in three of the last four. He leads the AL in hitting (.333) and RBIs (129) and is tied for second in home runs. … Oakland CF Coco Crisp (pink eye) left the game in the fourth inning and LF Yoenis Cespedes was hobbled after twisting his ankle.