HOUSTON _ This was the inning Daniel Norris was supposed to fall apart. The Detroit Tigers had seen it many times in the past.
After three solid innings, a leadoff walk. A double. A reliever warming up in the bullpen.
But this time, the young Tigers left-hander did not wilt to his weakest form. He did not try too hard. He quickly coughed up the lead, on a sacrifice fly, but he began to get stronger.
Norris would retire 10 straight batters after that sacrifice fly. He would look like a different pitcher, this time for the better. He would pitch into the seventh inning, keeping the Tigers in the game with perhaps his best pitching of the early season, and his offense rewarded him with a big win.
Alex Avila and Victor Martinez both delivered RBI groundouts in the top of the eighth inning, Jose Iglesias added a two-run home run and the Tigers beat the Houston Astros, 6-3, on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park. It was as big a win as a team two games under .500 on May 24 could have. It snapped a three-game losing streak.
Norris pitched into the seventh inning for the second time this season and he was good: He allowed two runs _ one earned _ on four hits. He walked two and struck out five.
It took him a few innings to get settled and just as he was appearing to do so, the bottom of the fourth inning rolled around, which could serve as a big step forward in maturity. He worked faster, appeared more in command of things and went on a roll we had not seen from him thus far.
The Tigers (22-23) opened the scoring in the third inning when Iglesias scored on a wild pitch and Ian Kinsler scored on a groundball double play off the bat of Miguel Cabrera. Norris gave runs back in each of the next two innings on sacrifice flies but finished strong.
In the eighth inning, against Astros righty Chris Devenski, Iglesias led off with a double. Kinsler singled and advanced to second base on a throw home before Avila grounded out, scoring the game-winning run. Cabrera was intentionally walked and Martinez did the same. It was nice production without power for the Tigers, who haven't had much as of late.
Shane Greene pitched another strong appearance, throwing 12/3 scoreless innings with a strikeout. Justin Wilson gave up a solo home run to Alex Bregman with two outs in the ninth inning for the final score.
Not to be overlooked in the eighth: Justin Upton made a fantastic catch on Marwin Gonzalez in left-center field, which would have been extra bases to open the inning.
The four-game series concludes Thursday night.
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