Detroit Tigers Rely on Long Ball, Beat Astros 7-3

The Detroit Tigers picked up another win on Wednesday, besting the Houston Astros by a score of 7-3.

The Detroit Tigers backed a solid outing by Jordan Zimmermann with a healthy dosage of home runs to down the Houston Astros.

Zimmermann looked sharp early, scattering two hits. The starter did hit two batters, but he also struck out three. The former Washington Nationals pitcher made way for Drew VerHagen, who also put up zeroes in a scoreless inning.

Michael Fulmer followed VerHagen and had an up and down outing. The former New York Mets farmhand breezed through an eight-pitch inning to start, inducing three consecutive outs via the ground ball.

However, after that things got a bit dicey.

The 23-year-old right hander went on to allow three hits, two runs and a walk. Blaine Hardy came on in relief and quashed any hopes of a Houston rally. The left-handed pitcher totaled two-thirds of an inning, striking out one.

Bobby Parnell and Drake Britton also saw action. Parnell fared much better, pitching a scoreless inning that included a walk and a strikeout. Britton also threw an inning that included one of everything where the box score was concerned. The left-handed pitcher was tagged for a hit, a walk and a home run. He also registered a strikeout.

Offensive Dominance

Offensively, Mike Gerber started things off with a solo home run in his first plate appearance. Bryan Holaday followed with a home run of his own, plating two and ensuring that his torrid Spring Training continues. The catcher isn’t going quietly in the battle for the backup catcher role. So far, the backstop is hitting a torrid .600 with four home runs and 11 runs batted in.

Not to be outdone, Ian Kinsler also went yard later in the game to continue an extremely productive spring. On the day, Detroit totaled 12 hits from 11 different batters. While Holaday was the only Tigers batter to register multiple hits, it was a definite positive that so many players collected hits. Brad Ausmus elected to go with a bench-heavy lineup that only featured three starters in Kinsler, Jose Iglesias and Anthony Gose. As the game wore on, the reserves gave way to a host of prospects and other non-roster invitees.

Next: Michael Fulmer Player Profile

Name Game

Joey Pankake, who may have the best name in baseball, made an appearance and had a hit in two at-bats. The 23-year-old infielder hit .268 with 29 extra-base hits at the Single-A level last season. He has likely replaced Al Alburquerque as having the best name in the Detroit organization.

Next Up

The Detroit Tigers will next be in action tomorrow against the St. Louis Cardinals. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm eastern time.

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