Detroit, MI – Miguel Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and Doug Fister was effective over seven innings to lead the Detroit Tigers past the lowly Houston Astros, 6-2, in the middle test of a three-game series at Comerica Park.
Fister (5-1) limited the light-hitting Astros to two runs on five hits, and the Tigers knocked out his counterpart, Lucas Harrell, in the sixth inning.
Victor Martinez went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Detroit, which had lost four of five games before taking the first two in this series.
Harrell (3-4) started strong, but wound up allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks over five-plus innings as the Astros dropped their sixth straight game and fell to 0-6 this season against the Tigers.
"They have good hitters," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "Sometimes you have to give credit to the other team."
Houston scored both of its runs in the second inning. Chris Carter and Carlos Pena each singled, and J.D. Martinez, doubled past a diving Cabrera at third on the 11th pitch of his at-bat to knock in a run. Jimmy Paredes added a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead that fell by the wayside in the middle innings.
Harrell had given up just one hit through the first four frames and retired the first two hitters in the fifth before running into trouble.
Omar Infante singled, stole second and came around on a base hit to left by Don Kelly to put Detroit on the board. Kelly scored from first on Ramon Santiago's double into the left-field gap, and Andy Dirks' ground-rule double knocked in the go-ahead run.
"Harrell had good stuff early, but we got to him in the fifth," Dirk said.
Cabrera doubled to lead off the sixth, and Victor Martinez ended Harrell's outing with an RBI single two batters later.
Prince Fielder, who walked between the hits, scored on Travis Blackley's wild pitch for a 5-2 Detroit lead, and Cabrera took Hector Ambriz deep over the left-field wall in the seventh for his eighth home run of the year.
Game Notes
The Astros placed second baseman Jose Altuve on the bereavement list Tuesday and recalled infielder Jake Elmore from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Elmore went 1- for-4 in his first start of the year ... Fielder has reached base safely in 24 consecutive games at Comerica Park dating back to last season ... The Astros have not won in Detroit since July 14, 2000 ... Harrell gave up eight runs in 4 1/3 innings against Detroit on May 4 ... J.D. Martinez had two of Houston's five hits, both of which were doubles ... The Tigers go for another sweep of the Astros on Wednesday, with the undefeated Max Scherzer starting opposite Houston's Dallas Keuchel.
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