Tigers 13, Twins 4: Victor Martinez homered and drove in four runs as visiting Detroit earned a split of the four-game series against Minnesota.
Torii Hunter also finished with four RBIs and Rajai Davis homered for the Tigers, who pulled within two games of the Kansas City Royals for the top spot in the American League Central. Max Scherzer (15-4) battled through five innings on 112 pitches and ended up yielding three runs on seven hits while becoming the first AL pitcher to reach 15 wins.
Detroit, which lost the first two games of the series by a combined score of 32-10, pounded out 18 hits and scored at least two runs in five different innings. Kyle Gibson (11-10) allowed five runs on eight hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings to absorb the loss for the Twins, who got three hits from rookie Kennys Vargas and two RBIs from Danny Santana.
Kinsler and Hunter delivered back-to-back RBI singles off Gibson in the third before Martinez grounded into a fielder’s choice to push across another run. The Twins got right back into it in the bottom of the inning on Santana’s two-run double and Brian Dozier’s tying RBI single.
Scherzer stranded runners at second and third in the fourth and the Tigers gave him some breathing room with two runs in the fifth, when Martinez’s single to left-center chased home Ian Kinsler and Hunter came in on a fielder’s choice later in the frame. Martinez capped his big day in the sixth with a two-run blast to left, Davis clubbed a two-run homer in the seventh and Hunter delivered a bases-loaded triple in the eighth as the Tigers piled on.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Detroit’s offensive explosion came without 1B Miguel Cabrera, who took the day off to rest a sore ankle. … Twins RHP Yohan Pino (elbow discomfort) began feeling pain while serving as the 26th man during the doubleheader on Saturday but was placed on the minor-league disabled list after he was sent down. … The Tigers get Monday off before returning home to host the New York Yankees while Minnesota hits the road to face Kansas City on Tuesday.
Detroit | Minnesota | |
Max Scherzer | Player | Kyle Gibson |
Win | W/L | Loss |
5.0 | IP | 4.2 |
4 | Strikeouts | 5 |
7 | Hits | 8 |
5.40 | ERA | 9.64 |
Detroit | Minnesota | |
Eugenio Suarez | Player | Kennys Vargas |
3 | Hits | 3 |
1 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
3 | TB | 3 |
.600 | Avg | .600 |