DETROIT (AP) — James McCann capped a six-run first inning with his first career grand slam as the Detroit Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros with an 11-0 rout Sunday.
Miguel Cabrera homered twice for the Tigers.
The Tigers, who began the day one game behind Boston for the second American League wild-card spot, have now won six straight – including a sweep at Fenway Park. The win extended Detroit’s lead over Houston to 1 1/2 games.
Mike Pelfrey (4-9) got the win, pitching five shutout innings and allowed four hits and a walk, striking out four. He has now allowed one or fewer runs in five of his last eight starts.
Dallas Keuchel (6-11) took the loss, allowing seven runs and seven hits in five innings, walking three and striking out four.
Two days after scoring nine runs in the first two innings off Collin McHugh, the Tigers were all over Keuchel. Seven of the first eight batters reached base, capped off by McCann’s grand slam to make it 6-0. Only Cameron Maybin getting thrown out on the bases kept the defending Cy Young winner from giving up more runs in the inning.
The Astros loaded the bases in the third, but Pelfrey got out of the jam by retiring Carlos Correa on a broken-bat grounder to third. Houston had them loaded again in the seventh, but Bruce Rondon struck out Correa.
Cabrera made it 7-0 with a fifth-inning homer off Keuchel, and Mike Aviles added an eighth run in the next inning. He doubled off Scott Feldman and scored on Jose Iglesias’s one-out sacrifice fly.
Cabrera got the lead to double figures with a two-run homer in the seventh off Feldman, and Justin Upton added a solo shot later in the inning.
