Riley Greene and Mark Canha homered in Detroit’s three-run eighth inning as the Tigers rallied for a 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
With reliever Colin Poche (0-1) on the mound and the Rays ahead 2-1, Greene launched a two-run shot to right-center for his fifth homer of the season. After a flyout, Canha drilled his second homer in as many games and his fifth overall for a 4-2 lead.
Greene also hit a solo shot for his first career multi-homer game and Canha added a double for the Tigers, who are 4-1 in their past five games.
Alex Faedo (1-1) allowed two runs on three hits in two innings of relief but still came away with the win.
Detroit starter Kenta Maeda held the Rays scoreless over five innings. He allowed three singles, did not issue a walk and fanned five.
Tampa Bay’s Isaac Paredes homered and had two hits, while Harold Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Rays starter Ryan Pepiot yielded just one run on three hits over six innings, striking out four and walking two.
In a bizarre start to the game, Maeda’s defense failed him on the first two plays of the bottom of the first.
Shortstop Javier Baez booted a routine grounder for an error. Then with Richie Palacios batting, Carson Kelly committed catcher’s interference as the Rays looked to go up early. However, Amed Rosario fouled out and Randy Arozarena grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Greene made it 1-0 in the third by squaring up Pepiot’s 91-mph slider and lofting it an estimated 426 feet to straightaway center.
Faedo allowed a one-out single by Arozarena in the sixth, then Paredes followed with his sixth homer of the year to put Tampa Bay up 2-1.
Following the explosive eighth, Tigers closer Jason Foley pitched a perfect ninth with one strikeout for his seventh save in seven chances.
–Field Level Media