Tigers LHP Boyd stymies Rangers
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Matt Boyd outdueled Cy Young candidate Cole Hamels and the Detroit Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak by shutting out the Texas Rangers 2-0 Saturday night at Globe Life Park.
The Tigers (62-54) also remained 1 1/2 games out of the second American League wild-card spot behind Boston and put the brakes on a six-game skid against Texas dating back to last season.
Detroit wouldn't have beaten the American League West leaders without a masterful performance by Boyd. The lefty stymied a club that's given him fits in his young career.
Boyd (4-2) was originally scheduled to start Friday, but was pushed back a day after making an emergency relief appearance earlier in the week. The extra rest paid off.
The 25-year-old held the Rangers scoreless through seven innings and allowed just two hits. Texas had 13 hits, including four home runs, in Friday's 8-5 series-opening win.
Boyd entered with a 0-3 record and 7.63 ERA lifetime against Texas.
The Rangers (69-49) lost for only the second time in the last eight games. Texas continues to own the best record in the AL.
It took a while, but the Tigers were finally able to break through against Hamels. The Texas ace struggled to put batters away, as Hamels (12-4) allowed a career-high 14 hits in seven innings to go along with three walks.
The 14 hits also tied a club record for a Texas pitcher.
Casey McGehee went 4-for-4, scored Detroit's first run in the fifth and drove in the second with a two-out double into the right-field corner in the sixth.
Shane Green worked a scoreless eighth for Detroit, with Francisco Rodriguez preserving the shutout in the ninth and nailing down his 33rd save.
Texas was blanked for the sixth time this season and finished with just three hits.
Hamels danced around trouble through the first four innings as the Tigers left seven men on base but couldn't score. The second was especially dicey, as J.D. Martinez singled and Mike Aviles doubled to put them at second and third with one out.
Hamels was able to get out of the jam by inducing a short fly ball out of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and, with the bases loaded, getting Ian Kinsler to ground out weakly.
Texas outfielders helped their starter in the fourth by throwing out two Tigers trying to take an extra base. Left fielder Jurickson Profar got Aviles trying to go first to third on a Saltalamacchia single. Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo ended the inning by gunning down Saltalamacchia at home after a Kinsler double.
Detroit's resilience finally paid off in the fifth after getting runners on the corners with no outs. Victor Martinez broke the scoreless drought with a single to center to plate Casey McGehee.
The damage was limited to one run despite the Tigers loading the bases with one out. A 5-4-3 double-play kept the margin at 1-0.
NOTES: Detroit SS Dixon Machado, recalled from Triple-A Toledo, made his first start Saturday in place of SS Jose Iglesias (hamstring), who went on the 15-day disabled list Friday. ... Mike Aviles started at CF for the first time since Aug. 28 last season and only the fifth time in his career. ... Texas catchers came into Saturday with 21 home runs this season, the most in the American League and second in the majors to Arizona's 22. Trade deadline acquisition C Jonathan Lucroy has six homers in his first 10 games with Texas. No player in club history has more than five home runs in his first 10 games with the franchise. ... Detroit optioned RHP Warwick Saupold to Triple-A Toledo.