Tigers rout Astros behind Collins, Upton
DETROIT -- Tyler Collins and Justin Upton blasted three-run homers while James McCann hit a pinch-hit solo shot to help the Detroit Tigers stretch their winning streak to four games Friday with a 14-6 trouncing of the Houston Astros.
Matt Boyd (2-2) allowed four hits in five innings but two were homers that accounted for three Astros' runs.
Collin McHugh (7-7) lasted only 1 2/3 innings and was roughed up for 10 hits and the Tigers' first eight runs, although all three Detroit home runs came off relievers.
Upton yanked a 2-2 pitch from reliever Michael Feliz down the left field line for a three-run home run in the sixth -- his 12th of the season -- as the Tigers plumped their lead to 13-3.
Collins tripled leading off the fifth and scored on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's sacrifice fly to the center field wall, upping Detroit's lead to 10-3.
Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer, his 18th, in the first to get Houston off to a 2-0 start but Detroit bounced back with two in the bottom of the first and seven in the second to lead, 9-2.
Altuve's home run followed a one-out double by Marwin Gonzalez off Boyd, who also allowed a leadoff home run to Jake Marisnick, his second, in the third, to make it 9-3.
Miguel Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly in the first and Nick Castellanos added an RBI single off McHugh to tie the score.
Cameron Maybin had a two-run double to right in the second, Cabrera drove him home with a single to center and Castellanos had an RBI single to third. Upton chased McHugh with a ground single to left and Collins greeted reliever Chris Devenski with a three-run home run, his third.
Detroit's Alex Wilson got four outs in relief of Boyd and Mark Lowe got the final two outs in the seventh plus two in the eighth.
However, an error plus a walk meant two runners were on when Carlos Correa greeted Dustin Molleken with a ground RBI single to left, making it 13-4. Colby Rasmus delivered a ground two-run single to right before Molleken got rookie Alex Bregman, still hitless in 13 major league at-bats, to ground out to second to end the inning.
McCann batted for designated hitter Victor Martinez in the eighth and belted his seventh home run of the season into the left field seats off reliever Tony Sipp. It was McCann's first career pinch-hit home run.
Molleken pitched a scoreless ninth.
NOTES: Houston placed 3B Luis Valbuena (right hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list and recalled INF Tyler White from Triple-A Fresno. White and rookie Alex Bregman will share third for the next two weeks. ... Detroit will return LHP Daniel Norris (right oblique) to its rotation next week but hasn't announced a date. The Tigers also announced the signing of former Texas LHP Cesar Ramos to a Triple-A contract. ... Astros CF Carlos Gomez (right hamstring) will miss at least the first two games of the series against the Tigers. ... CF Cameron Maybin returned to Detroit's lineup after missing all three games in Boston with a rib injury.