MILWAUKEE (AP) — Eric Haase and Jonathan Schoop each hit two home runs, Miguel Cabrera had three RBI and the previously light-hitting Detroit Tigers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 10-7 on Tuesday night, ending Milwaukee’s five-game winning streak.
Milwaukee’s Kolten Wong and Tyrone Taylor also hit two homers apiece in a game that saw nine home runs.
Detroit batters, who entered Tuesday with the fewest runs in the AL, scored six times in the second inning off left-hander Eric Lauer (1-2).
Haase led off the second with a home run on an 0-2 pitch that tied the game at 1. After Jeimer Canedelario came to bat with two outs and two runners on base, he worked the count to 3-1 and something seemed to bother Lauer physically. Manager Craig Counsell and a trainer visited the mound and had Lauer throw a practice pitch. Then Lauer walked Candelario to load the bases.
After pitching coach Chris Hook visited the mound, Cabrera, who was 0-for-18 entering the game, hit a three-run double to give the Tigers a 4-1 lead. Schoop followed with a home run to push the lead to 6-1.
Haase also led off the third inning with a home run off Lauer, who was pulled after the next batter after giving up seven runs.
“I think we've been having good at-bats and it started paying off for us,” Haase said.
Lauer said he felt back stiffness. “I didn't feel like I could really finish pitches, get through pitches. Everything started to kind of stay up in the zone. I kind of lost a little bit of control with that, too. It definitely didn't help,” he said.
The performance by Lauer, who held the Padres to one run in six innings in his previous start, might have reminded Tigers starter Matthew Boyd of his only prior appearance against Milwaukee. In that 19-0 loss on Sept. 9, the Tigers’ left-hander allowed seven runs in two-plus innings.
On Tuesday, Boyd, who lost his three previous starts and hadn’t won a game since April 13, gave up five runs in 4⅔ innings. Boyd gave up the most home runs in the AL in 2019 and 2020, and four of the runs he surrendered Tuesday were on homers.
Two were by Wong and one was by Taylor, who was recalled Tuesday. Taylor also hit a 430-foot homer off Tyler Alexander. Luis Urías also homered.
The game time temperature was 72 degrees.
“Temperature is definitely playing into it,” Wong said. “Just getting some good pitches to hit. There really weren't any cheap home runs tonight.”
Derek Holland (1-1) got the win, pitching two perfect innings.
The Tigers entered Tuesday in last place in the AL Central but, prior to the Brewers series, took three from the Yankees in their first home sweep of New York since 2000. With the win, Detroit split of a two-game series with Milwaukee. The Brewers won 3-2 in 10 innings on Monday.
“I think our approach has been pretty good for a month now,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “There's obviously some struggles here and there, but I think the at-bats as a whole have been pretty competitive.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: The 38-year-old Cabrera, who reached base on an infield single and on a throwing error by shortstop Willy Adames, was removed after grounding out in the sixth in what was described as a precautionary move for left groin tightness.
Brewers: OF Lorenzo Cain (right hamstring strain) was put on the 10-day IL. He previously went on the IL (left quadriceps discomfort) on April 14 and was activated May 3. Cain, 35, is hitting .223 with three home runs.
OPENING UP
Tuesday’s game was the first this season at American Family Field without a mask requirement for fans to protect against COVID-19.
UP NEXT
Tigers: Open a four-game series against the White Sox in Chicago on Thursday. Detroit RHP Casey Mize (3-3, 3.28 ERA) is slated to face Chicago LHP Dallas Keuchel (4-1, 4.53 ERA). Mize went to 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA in May, striking out 27 in 31 innings.
Brewers: Host a four-game series against the Diamondbacks starting Thursday. Counsell said LHP Brett Anderson (2-3, 4.18 ERA) would start. Arizona had not announced a starter.
