Carson Kelly hit a grand slam and Wenceel Pérez followed with a home run to support Keider Montero earning his first win in the majors as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Minnesota Twins 9-2 on Wednesday night.
Riley Greene and Matt Vierling added two-run homers, while Greene, Colt Keith, and Akil Baddoo each hit triples for the Tigers, who had lost five of their last six games.
Kelly’s sixth homer of the season and fourth in his last 10 games came in the third inning off David Festa’s 1-0 fastball, giving Detroit a 4-0 lead. Pérez then homered on the next pitch, a changeup.
Kelly had been batting .300 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs, and 15 RBIs over his previous 24 games.
“Carson has been swinging the bat very well,” remarked Detroit manager A.J. Hinch. “When I used him as a designated hitter the other day and he homered, he jokingly told me he hits better in the middle of the order. Maybe I should take him seriously.”
Montero, a 23-year-old right-hander, allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings in his third major league appearance and second start. He was called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day.
“It felt really good,” Montero said through interpreter Carlos Guillén. “Everything I did is part of the process. I always believed that today is part of the process, and in the end, it will show some results. But the most important thing is that I was able to help the team win and support my teammates.”
Festa, making his second major league start and first at Target Field, surrendered seven runs and nine hits over five innings. He had allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings in his debut at Arizona on June 27 and currently holds a 10.80 ERA.
“I felt good,” Festa said, regarded as the team’s top pitching prospect. “The results don’t show that in the box score, but I felt confident out there. The nerves were fine. It’s just a frustrating outcome.”
Brooks Lee, ranked as the No. 13 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, went 2 for 4 with an RBI in his major league debut for Minnesota. Lee singled off Montero for his first hit and later drove in Byron Buxton with an RBI single in the seventh inning.
