On a wet, stormy day in the Detroit metro area, Comerica Park fans were entertained with some blasts of their own. Led by an outstanding pitching performance from Anibal Sanchez and a pair of home runs from Alex Avila and Miguel Cabrera the Tigers were able to seize the day and entertain a crowd of 28,979 screaming fans.
Sanchez led the day with seven impressive innings in which he struck out eight hitters while earning his first victory of the season. Allowing a total of six base runners, Sanchez continued his impressive start to the 2012 season. But he wouldn’t have been able to get the win without a few runs of their own.
The team, hitting at a .298 clip for the day, got on the board Tuesday afternoon when Miguel Cabrera, who singled to right with two outs in the first was knocked in by a Prince Fielder double. The Tigers added another one in the second off of a solo blast from Avila. But the game really opened up in the bottom of the fourth with the Tigers holding onto a 2-1 lead.
Adding two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, the Toronto Blue Jays never threatened Detroit’s lead as the Tigers brought their season record to 4-3, 0.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox for the American Central lead.
What’s hot: Hunter collected his 2,000th hit of his career, going 3-for-5 with a run scored. He is hitting .424 on the year. Fielder went 2-for-3 with two walks, knocking in 1, continuing a hot bat.
What’s not: Victor Martinez wasn’t available to hit Tuesday as he has a cut on his right thumb which he suffered Sunday in a freak accident in the dugout when he challenged the bat rack to a duel. The bat rack won. Slicing his finger on some bolt heads, he is day-to-day. Jhonny Peralta went hitless in five at bats, bringing his season average down to .200.
On Deck: Mark Buehrle (0-0, 10.13 ERA) vs. Rick Porcello (0-1, 5.06 ERA). The game is a April 10, 1:08 PM ET start.
