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Mark Canha, Kerry Carpenter power Detroit Tigers to 8-2 win over Houston Astros
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- Mark Canha, Kerry Carpenter power Detroit Tigers to 8-2 win over Houston Astros
Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal received a standing ovation from the fans as he walked off the field in the seventh inning.
He deserves a lot of credit for the win.
But the Tigers ' offense stole the show, exploding for seven runs in the second inning in Saturday's 8-2 victory over the Houston Astros in the second of three games in the series at Comerica Park.
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Kerry Carpenter , who hadn't homered since April 17, hit two of the three homers for the Tigers.
Detroit Tigers designated hitter Kerry Carpenter (30) celebrates after hitting a 2-run home run against the Houston Astros during the second inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
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Skubal, though, anchored the Tigers (20-19) because he kept the Astros at bay. The 27-year-old, who has a 2.02 ERA in eight starts this season, allowed two runs on six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in 6⅓ innings, throwing 97 pitches.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, when Astros right-hander Cristian Javier walked Riley Greene on four pitches with the bases loaded.
Detroit Tigers right fielder Mark Canha (21) celebrates a grand slam against the Houston Astros with teammates during the second inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
The next batter, Mark Canha , slammed a middle-middle changeup for a grand slam to left-center field, making it 5-0. Two batters later, the Tigers extended their lead to 7-0 with a two-run home run from Carpenter.
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Canha hit the changeup 393 feet with a 102.9 mph exit velocity; Carpenter hit Javier's up-and-in fastball 350 feet to right field with a 106.5 mph exit velocity.
It was Canha's third career grand slam.
The first homer from Carpenter chased Javier, who was making his first start off a four-week stint on the injured list with neck discomfort, from his fifth start of the season.
Javier allowed seven runs on five hits and four walks in 1⅓ innings, without a strikeout. His ERA ballooned from 1.54 to 4.01 after the Tigers welcomed him back from the injured list.
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Tarik Skubal shines
Skubal threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of 28 batters.
The lefty, who retired the first six batters he faced, appeared to be in complete control throughout his eighth start of the season, even though the Astros scored two runs in the fourth inning and applied pressure in the seventh.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
A leadoff double from Jeremy Peña in the fourth led to the Astros' first run, as Alex Bregman delivered an RBI single with one out, and before Skubal could get the second out, Yainer Diaz singled to drive in the Astros' second and final run.
Skubal worked around a pair of two-out singles in the fifth inning with three strikeouts, sending down Joey Loperfido (called strike, 87.6 mph changeup), Jose Altuve (swinging strike, 98.6 mph fastball) and Alex Bregman (swinging strike, 98.4 mph fastball).
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The Astros threatened and chased Skubal in the seventh inning with a walk and a single, but not before Skubal got Altuve to pop out. Right-handed reliever Shelby Miller replaced Skubal, only to hit the first batter in the shoulder to load the bases.
With the bases juiced, the ever-dangerous Yordan Alvarez grounded into an inning-ending double play. The one-bouncer from shortstop Zach McKinstry nearly pulled first baseman Spencer Torkelson off the bag, but he dragged his right foot across the base while fielding the ball in the dirt to escape the jam without any damage.
It was a key play with the glove from Torkelson, who also extended his hitting streak to six games with a ground-ball single to right field off a 96.5 mph fastball from right-handed reliever Hunter Brown (Wayne State) in the third inning.
Skubal generated 15 whiffs on 51 swings — a 29.4% whiff rate — with six changeups, four fastballs, one sinker and four sliders. He threw the first 100 mph pitch of his MLB career to Diaz, resulting in a foul ball, in the second inning, his 22nd pitch of the game.
Kerry Carpenter crushes again
The seven runs in the second inning were more than enough for the Tigers, but Carpenter tacked on another run for an 8-2 advantage with his second homer of the game.
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It marked the third multi-homer game of his career.
In the fourth inning, Carpenter hammered a two-strike 97.5 mph fastball from Brown for a solo home run to left-center. He hit the ball 384 feet with a 102.6 mph exit velocity.
Carpenter has five homers in 36 games this season.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers blast their way past Houston Astros, 8-2
