SAN LUIS – Miguel Cabrera and Robbie Grossman hit home runs in a row to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 4-3 victory Tuesday in an interleague game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Two days after connecting his 500th home run, Cabrera hit 501. He found a slider from opener Jack Flaherty at 79 mph and placed the ball on the top floor of the left garden tier, known as Big Mac Land, at the third entrance.
The ball landed 423 feet off the plate, so the Venezuelan’s bat was his second longest home run so far this season.
The Cardinals immediately withdrew Flaherty (9-2) due to a stiffness problem in his right shoulder. In two innings, Flaherty accepted four runs and the same number of unstoppables, with three tickets in a 46-throw job.
The speed of their pitching decreased sharply after the first entry.
The 25-year-old opener missed 60 games, from June 1 to August 12, in a left oblique streak. He had accepted just two runs in 12 innings over two openings since he came off the injured list.
Casey Mize (7-6) took the win by covering five blank innings.
For the Tigers, the Venezuelans Cabrera 3-2 with a score and one produced, Harold Castro 4-1 with a score, Victor Reis 1-0. Dominican Jeimer Candelario 3-1 with a score.
For the Cardinals, Puerto Rican Yadier Molina 4-1. The Venezuelan José Rondón 1-0. The Panamanian Edmundo Sosa without an official shift but with a score.