Framber Valdez was in command from the first pitch, and Detroit's bats provided just enough power. The Tigers defeated the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Thursday, with three home runs doing most of the offensive work and Valdez handling the rest.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| DET | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 4 | 6 | 0 |
Valdez went seven innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits with no walks and 9 strikeouts on 87 pitches. He picked up his fifth win of the season against six losses, with a 4.10 ERA. Kenley Jansen worked the ninth for his 11th save, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out one.
Jake Rogers opened the scoring in the third, homering to left 363 feet to give Detroit a 1-0 lead. Oakland answered in the fifth when Jacob Wilson scored on Henry Bolte's fielder's choice to tie the game at 1-1. Detroit responded immediately. From that tie, Zach McKinstry hit a two-run homer to right center — 399 feet — with Kerry Carpenter scoring ahead of him, pushing the Tigers in front 3-1. Eduardo Valencia added a solo shot to center in the seventh, 425 feet, extending the lead to 4-1.
Oakland starter Jose Suarez lasted just 1.1 innings before giving way to the bullpen. Jack Perkins took the loss, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts over 3 innings, carrying a 6.87 ERA. Oakland's four relievers combined to cover 6.2 innings but allowed 4 runs.
Detroit improved to 43-50, extending its winning streak to five games. Oakland fell to 41-52, dropping its sixth straight.