Cabrera hits two homers as Tigers rout Astros
DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera hit two home runs worth three runs in a four-RBI day, James McCann belted his first career grand slam and five Detroit pitchers combined on a seven-hit shutout Sunday to guide the Tigers to a 11-0 victory over the Houston Astros and their second straight sweep of a three-game series.
Cabrera hit his 22nd home run of the season with nobody on and one out in the fifth off Dallas Keuchel (6-11) and added his 23rd after reliever Scott Feldman hit Cameron Maybin with a pitch to open the seventh.
Justin Upton hit his 13th home run of the season with two outs and the bases empty in the seventh.
Mike Pelfrey (4-9) pitched five shutout innings to get the win for Detroit. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out four. Alex Wilson, Bruce Rondon, Kyle Ryan and Mark Lowe pitched an inning apiece.
Keuchel was tagged for seven runs on seven hits over five innings. He walked three and fanned four.
Mike Aviles doubled leading off against Feldman in the sixth, went to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jose Iglesias to make it 8-0.
McCann tagged a high-hanging 80-mph 1-1 changeup for his first career grand slam to complete a six-run Detroit first.
Ian Kinsler started the outburst with a walk and Maybin bunted for a single before Cabrera grounded a single up the middle for his first RBI, Maybin getting thrown out at third.
Victor Martinez singled and Justin Upton grounded a run-scoring two-out single to left for a 2-0 Detroit lead. Mike Aviles walked to load the bases and McCann, who got the game-tying single in the ninth Saturday night and a pinch-hit home run Friday, hit his eighth home run of the season.
McCann also threw out George Springer -- from his knees -- trying to steal with two out in the fifth.
Rookie Alex Bregman got the first hit of his major league career in his 19th at-bat, a soft single to center in the third inning. The ball was thrown into the Houston dugout and the coach who caught it pulled off the old "throw the rookie's hit to a fan" trick. The coach has a second ball hidden, keeps the real ball and throws the extra into the stands.
NOTES: Rookie Alex Bregman was bumped up to the second spot in the batting order by Houston manager A.J. Hinch despite being 0-for-17 in the majors. Bregman has been getting bad results from good swings and Hinch feels a new look might help him. Bregman went 1-for-5. ... Disabled RHP Jordan Zimmermann (neck) was to throw a bullpen Sunday and another Tuesday before Detroit manager Brad Ausmus decides when to return him to the rotation. ... Ausmus had a bemused take on Cleveland's addition of LHP Andrew Miller. "We're 1-11 against the Indians. Maybe it will change our luck." ... The Astros entered Sunday with a 38-20 record since moving RF George Springer up to leadoff May 24.