DETROIT _ Matthew Boyd keeps pitching, Ronny Rodriguez keeps hitting, and the Detroit Tigers evened their series against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.
Boyd recorded his seventh consecutive quality start, allowing one run over six innings, and Rodriguez continued his torrid pace at the plate, going 3-for 4 with four RBI.
The Tigers won convincingly at Comerica Park, 10-3. They are 16-17.
Boyd's night began ominously, with a solo home run by Angels second baseman David Fletcher, but he only allowed two hits the rest of the way. Boyd also struck out six batters and walked none.
Thanks to Rodriguez's bat, the Tigers responded quickly to Fletcher's leadoff home run, taking the lead on his two-run triple in the bottom of the first inning. Rodriguez then singled home a run in the third inning and doubled home another in the fifth.
He grounded out to third in the seventh, leaving him a home run shy of the cycle.
JaCoby Jones hit a two-run home run in the eighth, his second of the season.
Rodriguez has served as a one-man wrecking crew since coming up to the Tigers late last month. In 14 games, he is hitting .340, with 12 of his 18 hits going for extra bases. But it's not just the hits _ it's when he's hitting them. Of those 18 hits, seven have tied the game or given the Tigers the lead. Rodriguez was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to fill in for second baseman Josh Harrison, who is on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder contusion. But if he keeps this up, manager Ron Gardenhire will have no choice but to keep him in the starting lineup.
It was another low-key strong performance from Boyd, who won his second consecutive start. Boyd's only real blemish was Fletcher's home run, though a strong wind blowing in from left field helped keep an Albert Pujols' fly ball out of the stands. In the win, Boyd lowered his season ERA to 2.86, tied for 10th in the American League. His six strikeouts moved him into a tie for fourth in the majors, with 63.
The Tigers' big bats are coming around. Nicholas Castellanos extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the first inning, and Miguel Cabrera went 1 for 4. Cabrera is hitting .302 this season. Joe Jimenez is noticeably getting more extension in throwing his fastball, evident in his swinging strikeout of Mike Trout in the seventh.
