C.J. Cron belted a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning, and the visiting Detroit Tigers beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 on Sunday to take two of three in their opening series.
For the second straight day, the Tigers broke a tie contest with a two-run homer. On Saturday, JaCoby Jones did the honors off Reds closer Raisel Iglesias in Detroit’s 6-4 victory.
In Sunday’s rubber game, Cron clubbed his second home run of the young season, this time off Michael Lorenzen (0-1), into the empty right-field bleachers to snap a 1-1 tie. Miguel Cabrera opened the frame by working a walk.
Cincinnati threatened in the bottom of the ninth, opening with back-to-back doubles from Freddy Galvis and Aristides Aquino off closer Joe Jimenez to make it 3-2. The Reds then had runners on first and third with one out when Joey Votto hit into a 4-6-3 game-ending double play.
Sunday’s starters, Spencer Turnbull for Detroit and Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer, were both solid in their 2020 debuts. Bauer allowed a run, two hits and struck out 13 — one shy of his career high — over 6 1/3 innings. Turnbull yielded a run, three hits and fanned eight with four walks through five.
The two teams struck out a combined 29 times Sunday. Detroit batters fanned on 46 occasions during this opening series. The Reds’ pitchers, meanwhile, set a club record by striking out at least 10 in each of their first three games of a season.
Detroit opened the scoring in the third inning on Niko Goodrum’s two-out home run to right-center field.
The Reds tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning with Votto’s two-out bloop single.
Votto posted five hits and three RBIs in the series.
Prior to the game, the Reds announced that Mike Moustakas was placed on the injured list after he woke up Sunday morning feeling sick. It’s uncertain if the veteran Moustakas, who is 4-for-8 with a homer and four RBIs in his first two games with Cincinnati, has tested positive for COVID-19.
The news came a day after the Reds’ Matt Davidson tested positive for COVID-19. Cincinnati outfielder Nick Senzel was also scratched before Sunday’s game, reportedly because he was also felling ill.
–Field Level Media
