Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Anibal Sanchez tossed eight strong innings and Miguel Cabrera led an explosive offense, as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Minnesota Twins 13-1 in the finale of a three-game set at Comerica Park on Thursday.
Sanchez (3-4) allowed one run on five hits to pick up his second win in three decisions. The right-hander struck out nine and walked one as the Tigers took two of three from Minnesota.
Cabrera finished 3-for-5, hammering a pair of two-run homers, and drove in five runs for Detroit, which scored a season-high 13 runs and belted out a season-best 20 hits. Eight of the nine Tiger starters ended with at least one hit and seven of the nine had multiple hits. Seven of the nine starters also drove in at least one run.
Anthony Gose had four hits, while Bryan Holaday, in his first start of the season, ended a triple shy of the cycle and drove in three runs. Nick Castellanos also homered for Detroit.
"Overall, from top to bottom we were pretty locked in at the plate," Castellanos said.
Eduardo Escobar drove in the lone run for the Twins, losers in three of their last four games.
The Tigers got to Minnesota starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey for three runs in the first inning. Cabrera singled home Gose with the first run and later scored on a Yoenis Cespedes sacrifice fly. Rajai Davis later doubled home J.D. Martinez with the final run of the inning.
The teams exchanged runs with Castellanos scoring on Jose Iglesias' groundout in the third and Escobar singling home Kurt Suzuki for the Twins' run in the fourth.
Castellanos then put Detroit ahead 5-1 in the fifth with a solo homer off Pelfrey, who didn't make it through the inning.
Pelfrey (3-1) had held the Tigers to just one earned run and three hits in seven frames back on April 28, but wasn't as effective this time around. The right-hander was charged with five runs -- four earned -- on 10 hits over 4 2/3 frames, losing for the first time in seven starts this season.
"Pitching behind in the count is always tough, no matter what team," Suzuki said of the pitching staff.
Detroit added three runs in the sixth when Cabrera connected on a two-run homer and Holaday added a run-scoring double.
Three more runs in the seventh made it an 11-1 game. Gose and Ian Kinsler hit consecutive triples to account for the first run and Cabrera followed with his second two-run homer of the contest.
Holaday rounded out the scoring with a two-run homer in the eighth.
Game Notes
Davis had three hits for Detroit ... The Tigers' previous season high in runs was 11 set on April 8 against the Twins ... Detroit's previous best in hits this season was 18, set on April 10 at Cleveland ... Cespedes was the only Tigers starter without a hit ... Gose and Martinez were the only Tigers starters not to drive in a run ... Iglesias was the only starter to not score a run.
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