Drake Baldwin drove in three runs, including a two-run homer, and the visiting Atlanta Braves pounded the slumping Detroit Tigers, 10-1, on Friday night.
Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim also blasted two-run homers for the Braves (71-83), who have won six straight. Ozzie Albies supplied three hits and drove in two runs, while Jurickson Profar had two hits and scored twice.
Bryce Elder (8-10) gave up one run and five hits without a walk while striking out six in seven innings.
Spencer Torkelson homered for Detroit (85-69), which has lost seven of its last eight games. The Tigers saw their American League Central lead shrink to 2 1/2 games over Cleveland (82-71) after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins 6-2 later on Friday in Minneapolis.
Tigers starter Charlie Morton (9-11) gave up six runs and five hits in 1 1/3 innings. Chris Paddack pitched five innings and gave up two runs.
The Braves scored three runs before the Tigers recorded an out. Profar led off with a double and Matt Olson was hit by a pitch. Walks to Acuna Jr. and Baldwin forced in a run. Albies then smacked a single to bring home Olson and Acuna.
Nacho Alvarez Jr. led off the top of the second with a single, sparking another three-run inning. Olson ripped a one-out double to bring home Alvarez and Acuna followed with his 18th homer, smashing an 0-2 offering from Morton over the right-center field wall to make it 6-0. That was the last pitch Morton threw.
Parker Meadows had a two-out triple in the bottom of the third but he was left stranded as Gleyber Torres grounded out.
Torkelson put the Tigers on the board in the fourth with his 30th homer, pounding an Elder sinker over the left-center field wall.
Atlanta extended its lead to 8-1 in the eighth against Paddack. Albies led off the inning with a single and scored on Kim’s homer, his fourth of the season. Kim jumped on a first-pitch sinker.
Baldwin homered in the ninth inning off of Paul Sewald, who was making his Detroit debut. Position player Zach McKinstry got the last out for the Tigers.
–Field Level Media
