Tigers 9, Athletics 4
DETROIT -- J.D. Martinez and Victor Martinez each blasted three-run homers, powering the Detroit Tigers to a 9-4 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night at Comerica Park.
Moved to the No. 2 spot in the order for the first time in his career, J.D. Martinez had two hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly while driving in four runs. Victor Martinez reached base four times.
Winning pitcher Justin Verlander (2-2) gave up three runs and five hits with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
Oakland's Sonny Gray (3-2) endured the shortest start of his four-year career. He gave up four runs and two hits while walking four and hitting a batter in two innings.
Khris Davis homered, tripled and scored twice for the A's, who are 5-4 on their 10-game road trip.
Victor Martinez's three-run shot into the right-field stands in the sixth, his fourth homer of the season, gave Detroit an 8-1 lead. The A's scored two runs in the seventh on Billy Butler's RBI double and Coco Crisp's run-scoring single.
Jed Lowrie added an RBI single for Oakland in the eighth. J.D. Martinez scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning.
Earlier, J.D. Martinez gave Verlander plenty of run support.
Nick Castellanos led off the second with his first triple of the season, sparking a four-run inning. Bobby Wilson drew a one-out walk and Anthony Gose brought home Castellanos with a fielder's-choice grounder.
After a walk to Ian Kinsler, Martinez drove a 2-1 pitch over the right-center-field wall for his third homer of the season and a 4-0 Tigers lead.
Verlander escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third. Leading off the fourth, Davis hit a monstrous blast above the high brick wall beyond the left-center fence.
Martinez's sacrifice fly off reliever Ryan Dull brought him an unearned run in the fourth to make it 5-1.
NOTES: Tigers manager Brad Ausmus tweaked his lineup, elevating RF J.D. Martinez to the No. 2 spot and dropping LF Justin Upton to No. 5. Both have struggled at the plate. "It's kind of like throwing a blind dart and hoping something clicks," Ausmus said. ... Oakland C/OF Matt McBride had his contract selected from Triple-A Nashville and RHP Andrew Triggs was optioned to the same team. "It's always nice to have a third catcher," manager Bob Melvin said. ... LHP Sean Manaea will make his major league debut when he starts Friday against Houston, Melvin announced. The 24-year-old Manaea was dominant in three Triple-A starts at Nashville, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. ... Tigers RHP Francisco Rodriguez was activated from the family medical emergency list and OF Tyler Collins was optioned to Triple-A Toledo. Rodriguez was placed on the list on Sunday. Collins was hitting .100 with one RBI in 20 at-bats.