Detroit led by two heading into the eighth. It did not last. Houston scored three times in the final frame to overturn a 6-5 deficit and hand the Tigers a loss that had seemed unlikely just three outs earlier.
The rally began when Diaz scored on an error, tying the game at 6-6. Then Isaac Paredes doubled to right, and Peña and Vázquez both scored to give Houston an 8-6 lead it would not relinquish. AJ Blubaugh, who worked 2.0 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits with 2 strikeouts, earned the win to improve to 4-2 with a 3.52 ERA. Josh Hader closed it out with a perfect ninth — 1.0 inning, no hits, one strikeout — for his seventh save of the season, carrying a 0.82 ERA.
Detroit had built its lead on the strength of Kerry Carpenter's third-inning grand slam. Trailing 3-0, Carpenter homered to right center — 390 feet — scoring McGonigle, Keith, and Torkelson to put the Tigers ahead 4-3. It was the defining swing of the game's first half. Carpenter finished 2-for-4 with 4 RBI and a home run, his 12th of the season. Hao Yu Lee added a solo home run in the fifth to push the lead to 4-6, going 2-for-4 with 1 RBI on the night. Spencer Torkelson doubled home a run in the fourth to extend the Detroit advantage, finishing 1-for-4.
Framber Valdez started for Detroit and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits over 6.0 innings, striking out 2 without a walk on 88 pitches. He did not factor in the decision. Will Vest took the loss — his fifth of the season — after allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits in 1.0 inning, with 2 strikeouts. The damage in the eighth came quickly, and Detroit's bullpen could not hold the margin. For Houston, Jeremy Pena went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and scored twice, providing consistent production throughout the lineup. Cam Smith's two-run homer in the second gave the Astros their early lead, his ninth of the year.
Houston fell to 40-44 on the season after snapping a brief winning run, while Detroit moved to 35-47. Christian Walker, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles, is now 2 away from 200 career doubles.