Robbie Ray was stellar in his debut as the Detroit Tigers down the Houston Astros, 11-4

Mar 11, 2014; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher

(70) throws a pitch during the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Robbie Ray picked up his first major league win in his debut against the Houston Astros, as the Detroit Tigers blew out the visitors 11-4 behind five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to push their lead to 10.  The win extended the Tigers winning streak to a major league-high seven games.

The centerpiece in the Doug Fister trade this offseason was extremely effective from the left side over 5 1/3 innings, allowing just five hits and one run while striking out five.  The Brentwood, Tenn. native was held to a pitch count in his debut, throwing just 86 pitches, but Ray was able to make it through five innings to pick up the win.

Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and four RBI on Tuesday, pushing his batting average to .293.  The reigning AL MVP has been heating up lately, and with the help of Victor Martinez, the Tigers have been scoring runs in bunches during their winning streak.

Danny Worth had a stellar night as well at shortstop, going 2-for-3 with three RBI in the nine hole for the Tigers.  The longtime member of the Tigers organization got the start on Tuesday, giving Andrew Romine a day off.  The move payed off as Worth crushed two singles for three RBI.

Torii Hunter, Nick Castellanos and Alex Avila also recorded multi-hit games for the Tigers, who totaled a whopping 18 hits on the night.  Hunter’s batting average has climbed all the way to .333 after a tough spring and a bad start to the 2014 season.  Avila continues to be an on-base machine, posting an OBP of .360 so far this season.

Recent call-up J.D. Martinez also picked up a two-RBI against his former team, one on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning that plated Hunter and another on a single in the five-run eighth inning for the Tigers that brought home Cabrera.  Martinez has brought his extra-base power from Toledo as half of his hits are doubles, but is still striking out at a high rate (eight strikeouts in 22 at-bats).

Every position player who started picked up a hit for the Tigers on Tuesday night.  Al Alburquerque struck out two batters in his one inning he pitched as well.  The Tigers received an all-around effort from the entire team and in return, they picked up their seventh win in a row.

The Tigers (19-9) will look to continue their winning streak against the Astros (10-23) as the series continues on Wednesday.  Rick Porcello (4-1, 3.66 ERA) is set to take the mound for the Tigers and continue his recent trend of excellent starts.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. EST.