Riley Greene hit home runs in the first two innings and achieved personal bests with four hits and six RBIs as the Detroit Tigers built an early lead and coasted to a 13-5 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday.
“He’s learning and developing,” manager A.J. Hinch commented on Greene’s performance. “He capitalizes on good pitches to hit and creates a lot of impact. Games like this are exciting to watch and be a part of.”
The Tigers capitalized on starter Spencer Arrighetti’s struggles, collecting five hits and seven runs off him in just 1 1/3 innings. Arrighetti, filling in for the scratched Justin Verlander due to neck discomfort, struggled early.
Detroit set a season-high with five home runs, including solo shots from Matt Vierling, Carson Kelly, and Colt Keith. Wenceel Pérez also had a career-best four hits and contributed two RBIs as the Tigers amassed 19 hits, their highest total this season.
Tigers’ starter Jack Flaherty (4-3) pitched five innings, allowing three hits and striking out six, for his third consecutive win.
Chas McCormick hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the seventh inning for the Astros, who struggled with runners in scoring position, going 3 for 14, and suffered their fourth loss in six games.
In the first inning with one out, Vierling hit a home run to left-center field. Greene followed immediately with another home run to left, marking the first back-to-back home runs for Detroit this season and giving them an early 2-0 lead.
In the second inning, Arrighetti walked two batters and hit Kelly with a pitch to load the bases. Pérez then hit a single to right field, driving in two more runs and extending Detroit’s lead to 4-0.
With one out in the inning, Greene struck again with a home run to right field, pushing the lead to 7-0 and forcing Arrighetti out of the game. This was Greene’s second career game with multiple home runs, following his two-home run game against Tampa Bay on April 23.
