ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Riley Greene homered, tripled and drove in four runs for the Detroit Tigers in a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Greene sent a two-run home run to right field in the fourth inning and hit a two-run triple high into the left-field corner during a four-run fifth inning.
Casey Mize (4-5) allowed two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings as the Tigers won the series rubber game to finish a 5-1 road trip.
Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 14 chances.
Mize came off the best start of his major league career — seven shutout innings in a win at Yankee Stadium last Monday during which he allowed one hit and no walks with 10 strikeouts.
Greene homered off Kumar Rocker (2-7), his fourth of the trip and ninth since June 1 after a 29-game homer drought.
The Rangers’ second consecutive loss dropped them to .500 at 45-45.
Texas contributed to Detroit’s four-run outburst. Rocker didn’t cover first base on a right-side grounder hit by No. 9 batter James Outman that became an infield single. Elias Díaz was called for catcher’s interference. A wild pitch by Robby Ahlstrom scored rookie Kevin McGonigle.
Rocker, 1-7 at home this season, gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Two of Texas’ runs came on solo homers — Jake Burger in the third inning and Ezequiel Duran in the eighth. Burger was previously hitless in 15 at-bats.
Josh Jung, the Rangers’ regular third baseman, was a late scratch because of pain from fouling a ball off a kneecap on Saturday.
Up next
Both teams begin three-game home series on Tuesday. LHP Tarik Skubal (4-4, 3.15 ERA) will start for the Tigers against the Athletics. Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (7-5, 3.58) will go against the Los Angeles Angels.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
Jeff Miller, The Associated Press
