Akil Baddoo slugged a three-run homer to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 5-0 win over the host Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon.
Riley Greene added a solo blast to power the Tigers. Both homers were hit to the opposite field by lefty swingers.
The Tigers got excellent pitching from Beau Brieske, Joey Wentz (2-9), Jason Foley, Tyler Holton and Alex Lange. After Brieske pitched two innings as the opener, Wentz went 4 2/3 frames before Foley got the last out of the seventh and first two of the eighth. Holton and Lange finished the combined shutout.
Miami’s Johnny Cueto (0-2) took the loss, allowing four hits, one walk and four runs in six innings. He struck out five batters in just his third start of the season. Both of Detroit’s homers came off Cueto.
Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez, who leads the major leagues with a .381 batting average, was a Miami bright spot, going 2-for-4.
Detroit opened the scoring in the second as Javier Baez drew a one-out walk, Miguel Cabrera lined a ground-rule double to right and Baddoo followed with his 394-foot shot to left center. Baddoo hit a 1-0 slider that was on the outside part of the plate.
Arraez singled and reached third base in the third inning, but he was stranded when Jon Berti flied out to center.
Detroit made it 4-0 in the sixth on Greene’s solo shot just inside the left field foul pole. Greene hit a 1-1 fastball up and away, and his homer was measured at 372 feet.
Miami threatened in the eighth as Bryan De La Cruz drew a nine-pitch leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Garrett Cooper then fouled off seven pitches during an 11-pitch at-bat, advancing De La Cruz to third with a groundout. However, Berti and Yuli Gurriel struck out to end the threat. Foley struck out Berti, and Holton fanned Gurriel.
In the ninth, Detroit made it 5-0 with a rally started by a Cabrera single. Cabrera was then replaced by pinch runner Jake Rogers, who scored on Zack Short’s double to left.
–Field Level Media
