Tigers 8, Twins 1: Matt Boyd, resurgent offense rebound strong

Everything went right. Tigers starter Matt Boyd pitched as deep into a major league game as he ever has. Serving as the designated hitter, James McCann bombed a three-run home run. And hey, the rest of the offense showed up, too, as Detroit beat the Twins, 8-1.

The win put them at 1.5 games out of Baltimore’s second wild card spot — with first wild card Toronto playing Seattle on the West Coast.

The real star of the night was Boyd, who allowed just one batter over the minimum through the first six innings on the mound. Brian Dozier led off with a single before being stranded at second. Max Kepler walked in the second before but was caught stealing.

Boyd got the next 14 batters out before Robbie Grossman homered in the seventh inning for the Twins’ only run. Boyd stayed in one more inning, finishing after the eighth inning having allowed three hits and a walk while striking out seven.

The Tigers’ offense was alive and well against Hector Santiago and the Twins’ bullpen. Andrew Romine got Detroit on the board in the third inning when Cameron Maybin tripled, and Miguel Cabrera created his own run in the fourth when he doubled (barely), advanced to third on a fly ball (barely), and scored on a grounder to third (barely).

The real fun came in the sixth and seventh innings. McCann — DHing for the first time since Double A in 2014 — put Detroit up 6-0 with a three-run shot to center, and Cabrera added two more of his own with a two-run HR to left an inning later for an 8-0 lead.

Maybin reached base three times with two hits and a walk in the leadoff spot.

Mark Lowe finished the game with a 1-2-BB-3 ninth.

Roars

Matt Boyd — Eight innings marked his longest career start. He allowed only a solo home run, striking out seven.

James McCann — The Tigers’ DH(!) absolutely crushed a three-run home run to put Detroit up, 6-0.

Miguel Cabrera — OK, this sums it up. Put the Tigers up 2-0 after barely doubling and manufacturing his own run.

Oh yeah. He hit a homer, too. Should probably mention that before the well actuallys show up in the comments.

Hisses

Heck no. Nope. Nuh uh.

Stats and stuff

• Nick Casetellanos felt pain while rehabbing in Lakeland, Florida. (MLive)
• Jordan Zimmermann threw 68 pitches in a Zim Sim game earlier in the day but gave up some hard contact. (Detroit News)
• Ian Kinsler didn’t play with concussion symptoms still existing, and Victor Martinez didn’t play due to continued pain in his knee after being hit by a pitch on Sunday.

Win probability chart