Tigers 9, White Sox 1: Shane Greene's strong start boosted by Yoenis Cespedes' 2 home runs

DETROIT -- After a blowout loss to the White Sox on Saturday, the Detroit Tigers gladly repaid the favor Sunday. Shane Greene dominated Chicago while the offense put on a flashy hit parade, led by Yoenis Cespedes, who hit two massive home runs to left field. The Tigers won 9-1 over the White Sox, taking the series and increasing their record to 10-2 for the season.

Greene (3-0) was shaky to start, but after a 17-pitch first he settled down and allowed just one run on five hits. He walked four in that time while striking out three, and had the benefit of four double plays turned behind him for defensive support. Ian Krol came on in the eighth inning for the Tigers, pitching a 11-pitch 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout, while Angel Nesbitt allowed a runner to third before escaping the ninth otherwise unharmed.

The offense had been quiet for the last couple of games, scoring just seven runs in the last four games. That changed, largely due to Cespedes, who hit a grand slam in the first during a brief downpour that ended soon after the dinger, and a two-run bomb in the third inning.

The Tigers also scored a run in the second after James McCann's triple -- brought home on Rajai Davis' RBI single -- and two runs in the fifth. Miguel Cabrera hit a leadoff double that came around to score on Victor Martinez's ground rule double, and Nick Castellanos' RBI double scored Martinez. The only starting Tigers batter without a hit was J.D. Martinez, who was 0-for-3 with a walk.

ROARS:

Shane Greene: Greene started the game unable to throw strikes consistently, as six of the first seven pitches he threw missed the strike zone. However, after a 17-pitch first inning, Greene quieted and faced the minimum in three of the next six innings. He finished the day with 7 strong innings, allowing five hits, one run (earned), four walks, and three strikeouts. He threw 102 pitches, 65 strikes.

Yoenis Cespedes: After the offense loaded the bases to start the game, Cespedes smoked a 92 mph fastball into the left field seats on a full count for a grand slam, giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead. He then hit a two-run bomb to left field in the third inning, setting a new career-high 6 RBI in a single game, and multi-home run games.

Victor Martinez: After an 0-for-7 at-bat streak, Martinez recorded his first extra-base hit of the season, a ground-rule double that drove in a run in the fifth. He also had two singles in the first and third innings, giving him a 3-for-3 day. It marks the first game Martinez has recorded a hit in every at-bat in 2015.

HISSES:

Designated for assignment

STREAKS AND STATS:

• Yoenis Cespedes' grand slam in the first inning was the first of his career, and the first for the Tigers this season. Cespedes is now 6-for-8 with four home runs in eight at-bats, and is hitting .500 with a home run and 37 RBI with the bases loaded.
• James McCann's leadoff triple in the second is the fifth triple of the season for the Tigers, tying them with the Oakland A's for the American League lead. It also snapped an 0-for-13 skid at the plate for McCann.
• Nick Castellanos has a seven-game hitting streak and has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games. He is hitting .343 with four RBI, three doubles, a triple, and a home run during that time.
• Shane Greene did not allow an earned run in 21 2/3 innings-pitched this season. It is the second-longest streak by a Tigers pitcher since 1974, and he is the first Tigers pitcher to throw seven-or-more innings and allow one-or-fewer earned runs in each of his first three starts since Jack Morris in 1984.
• Jose Iglesias is hitting .447 with four doubles, has a four-way tie for the AL lead with four stolen bases, and has a five-game hitting streak. He has struck out just twice in 42 plate appearances.
• Cespedes' two-run home run in the third inning was his sixth-career multi-home run game, and his six-RBI in the game are a career high for Cespedes. It is the first multi-homer game since July 23, 2014 against the Houston Astros. Cespedes' six RBI are also the most by a Tigers player since Omar Infante recorded six on Sept. 6, 2013 against the Royals in Kansas City.
• The Tigers hit five doubles on Sunday, giving them 24 doubles as a team to start the season, which is second only in the AL to the Oakland A's, who have 28.
• The four double plays turned gives the Tigers 12 for the season, third-most in the AL behind the Rangers (15) and A's (14). It is the most they've had in a single game since they had four double plays on August 7, 2013 at Cleveland against the Indians.

WIN PROBABILITY GRAPH:

Source: FanGraphs