Nick Maton hit a three-run homer and the visiting Detroit Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Monday night.
Javier Baez reached base three times and scored a run for Detroit in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Matthew Boyd (1-1) gave up two runs on five hits in five innings to pick up the victory. He struck out eight and walked one. A trio of setup relievers each pitched a scoreless inning before Alex Lange fanned two in a perfect ninth inning for his second save.
William Contreras and Mike Brosseau hit solo homers for the Brewers. Colin Rea (0-1) allowed four runs on five hits and four walks with one strikeout in five innings. Bryse Wilson collected four strikeouts in two scoreless innings of relief.
The Tigers had a threat in the first when Baez drew a two-out walk and Maton had a bunt single. Kerry Carpenter then struck out.
Contreras came up with two outs in the bottom of the first and slammed a 1-2 Boyd fastball over the center field wall.
Detroit nearly ran itself out of the third inning until Maton came to the rescue. Eric Haase drew a leadoff walk but was thrown out trying to steal. Akil Baddoo and Riley Greene also walked, and Baez followed with a single. Baddoo held at third, but Greene kept going and slid into the bag. He was easily tagged out trying to retreat.
Maton then smoked a 3-1 fastball from Rea over the right field fence to give Detroit a 3-1 lead.
Brosseau cut the Tigers’ lead to one in the bottom of the inning when he smashed a two-out homer.
Boyd worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth by retiring Joey Wiemer on a short fly and striking out Blake Perkins.
The Tigers made it 4-2 in the fifth when Haase lined a double to left, advanced on a groundout and scored on Greene’s fielder’s-choice grounder.
Detroit stranded two runners in both the eighth and ninth innings.
–Field Level Media