Ray, Tigers Mow Down Astros 11-4
By LARRY LAGE/AP Sports Writer
DETROIT (AP) - Miguel Cabrera homered for his first of four hits and four RBIs, Robbie Ray gave up one run in his debut and the Detroit Tigers routed the Houston Astros 11-4 Tuesday night for their season-high seventh straight win.
Houston, which has the worst record in the majors, lost its fourth in a row and sixth in seven games.
Cabrera cleared the fences for the third time this year in the first inning with a solo homer. The Tigers scored two runs in the third inning and another one in the fourth.
That was plenty of support for the 22-year-old Ray, who was acquired in the offseason trade that sent Doug Fister to Washington.
Ray (1-0) gave up one run, five hits, a walk and struck out five in 5 1-3 innings in his first game in the majors.
Brett Oberholtzer (0-6) allowed four runs on nine hits, two sacrifice flies and a walk over six innings.
Ray responded well when Jose Altuve led off the game with a bloop down the right field line, which he turned into a double, and Dexter Fowler followed with an infield single after the left-hander appeared to run past first base when Cabrera tossed him the ball. With the poise manager Brad Ausmus predicted he would have, Ray struck out the third and fourth batters in Houston's lineup and an inning-inning groundout got him out of the jam.
The former Nationals prospect had a shot to have a scoreless start, but second baseman Ian Kinsler dropped a popup that allowed Fowler to score in the sixth inning. That ended Ray's anticipated debut in Detroit, where fans were generally unhappy that Fister was traded primarily for a prospect in the offseason.
Ray was given a standing ovation as he walked toward the dugout for the final time.
Cabrera, who matched a season high with four hits, had an RBI single in the seventh inning and a two-run double in the eighth.
Torii Hunter extended his hitting streak to 13 games and had the first of Detroit's three sacrifice flies.
J.D. Martinez was the only player in the Tigers' lineup who did not have a hit until his RBI single in the five-five-run eighth.
Houston scored three in the ninth inning off Justin Miller.
NOTES: Astros manager Bo Porter said RHP Scott Feldman, who has been on the DL since mid-April with right biceps tendinitis, will start Friday at Baltimore and said a decision will be made Wednesday or Thursday about who will be taken out of the rotation. ... Martinez was cut by the Astros in March after playing for them the previous three years and was signed two days later by Detroit. He played in his eighth game this year, giving Rajai Davis the day off. ... The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by John Truong, who wearing a Samurai warrior outfit to promote an exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
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