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4 Cleveland HRs power Kluber to 1st win, 8-2 over Tigers

Posted at 4:21 PM, Apr 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-09 16:21:37-04

DETROIT (AP) — Corey Kluber earned his first win of the season in his third start, powered by four Cleveland home runs that sent the Indians over the Detroit Tigers 8-2 on Tuesday.

The Indians won their fifth straight game. Detroit had won five in a row.

Kluber (1-2) allowed one earned run over six innings. A two-time Cy Young Award winner who went 20-7 last season, he struck out eight.

Leonys Martin, Brad Miller, Roberto Perez and Jake Bauers all entered with sub-.200 batting averages before hitting their first homers of the season. Cleveland had hit a total of only four home runs this year before connecting at Comerica Park.

Jordan Zimmermann (0-1) gave up five runs and was chased in the fifth inning. He had allowed just one run in 13 2/3 innings in his first two starts.

Martin homered on the second pitch of the game against his former team, which traded him in July before a bacterial infection ended his season and threatened his life.

Miller added a two-run homer in the second, starting off a 2-for-2 afternoon in which he scored three times.

Perez added a towering shot in the fifth inning, and Bauers homered off reliever Blaine Hardy to make it 6-2 in the sixth.

Eric Stamets singled and scored on a three-base error by center fielder Mikie Mahtook, who let the ball roll under his glove and reach the wall.

Miguel Cabrera had an RBI double and Niko Goodrum had a run-scoring single for the Tigers, who had opened the season winning seven of 10 games. They had been 3-0 at home after sweeping Kansas City over the weekend.