Eduardo Rodriguez pitched seven strong innings and the host Detroit Tigers snapped the Minnesota Twins’ five-game winning streak with a 6-0 victory on Tuesday.
Rodriguez (8-5) allowed four hits and three walks while striking out five. He has won both of his starts since declining to be dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline.
Jose Cisnero and Jason Foley finished off the shutout by tossing an inning apiece. Zack Short drove in two runs and Kerry Carpenter had two hits and scored twice. Jake Rogers added a solo homer.
Losing pitcher Sonny Gray (5-5) gave up three runs (two earned) and seven hits in six innings while notching 10 strikeouts.
The Tigers scored an unearned run in the first. Riley Greene stretched a base hit into a double with one out. Miguel Cabrera, batting cleanup for the first time this season, hit a chopper over the mound with two outs.
Second baseman Jorge Polanco made a bad throw to first, allowing Cabrera to reach base and Greene to score from second.
Donovan Solano and Carlos Correa had singles in the third to put runners on the corners with two out. Rodriguez escaped the jam as Jordan Luplow lined out to shortstop Javier Baez.
Detroit made it 3-0 in the fourth. Cabrera led off with a single and moved to third on Carpenter’s double. Baez and Zach McKinstry followed with RBI singles. Baez was left stranded at third as McKinstry was caught stealing before Gray set down the next two batters.
As Rodriguez continued to cruise along, the Tigers extended their lead to four runs on Rogers’ homer to left center in the seventh. Rogers, who missed last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, has 14 homers this season.
Detroit tacked on two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Cabrera had a one-out single and Carpenter also singled, moving pinch runner Eric Haase to second. Baez walked to load the bases. After McKinstry struck out, Short smacked a single to left to bring in Haase and Carpenter.
–Field Level Media
