PITTSBURGH -- Maybe the Detroit Tigers should get four unexpected days off more often. Or maybe they should just face a pitching staff in tatters.
Either way, Detroit's struggling offense has found traction in Pittsburgh. Niko Goodrum, Miguel Cabrera, C.J. Cron and Jeimer Candelario all hit home runs in the first inning against Pirates starter Derek Holland as the Tigers drilled the Pirates 11-5 on Saturday.
Goodrum took the second pitch he saw from Holland (0-1) and sent it into the seats in left field. Cabrera did the same two batters later. Cron followed with a blast to center. Candelario finished it off with a shot that scraped over the wall to give Detroit its first four home run inning in seven years. The Tigers hit all four home runs in the first 11 pitches.
"When something like that happens in the game, you can feel it in the dugout," Cron said. "People get excited and want to step up and do the same thing. It just snowballed. We all got some good pitches to hit and it was a fun first inning for sure."
The Tigers were idle for four days when a series against St. Louis was postponed after covid-19 spread through the Cardinals' clubhouse. Detroit arrived in Pittsburgh hitting just .205 on the season. That average has now jumped to .239 after scoring 28 runs in 20 innings against the Pirates.
Cabrera got three hits, including his 481st career home run. The 37-year-old also drove in three runs to move him past Hall of Famer Jim Thome and into 24th on the all-time list with 1,701. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is next with 1,702.
ORIOLES 5, NATIONALS 3 Pat Valaika, Pedro Severino and Anthony Santander homered during a five-run rally in the eighth inning as visiting Baltimore roughed up Washington's relievers.
ROCKIES 5, MARINERS 1 Charlie Blackmon drove in three runs, and four Colorado pitchers combined to one-hit host Seattle.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
ATHLETICS 3, ASTROS 1 Marcus Semien homered in the first after hitting a walkoff single to end a 13-inning victory a night earlier and Oakland beat visiting Houston.
INDIANS 7, WHITE SOX 1 Cleveland snapped a scoring drought with a six-run fourth in a victory over host Chicago.
YANKEES 8-3, RAYS 4-5 Austin Meadows hit a two-run single and host Tampa Bay held off New York for a split of a doubleheader. The Yankees won the opener as ace Gerrit Cole came within one strike of earning his 20th consecutive regular-season win.
BLUE JAYS 2, RED SOX 1 Five Toronto pitchers combined on a four-hitter, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. scored the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning, lifting the visiting Blue Jays over Boston.
RANGERS 2, ANGELS 0 Joey Gallo hit a two-run home run, six Texas pitchers combined on a four-hitter, and the Rangers have consecutive wins for the first time this season.
ROYALS 9, TWINS 6 Jorge Soler homered in back-to-back innings as Kansas City held on to beat Minnesota. Tyler Zuber (White Hall, Arkansas State) earned the win, the first of his major-league career.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
METS 8, MARLINS 4 J.D. Davis homered and drove in a career-high four runs as host New York defeated Miami.
PHILLIES 5, BRAVES 0 Jake Arrieta tossed six strong innings for his first win in more than a year, and Jay Bruce and J.T. Realmuto each homered to lead host Philadelphia.
REDS 4, BREWERS 1 Anthony DeSclafani allowed two singles over six scoreless innings, and Eugenio Suarez hit a three-run home run to lift visiting Cincinnati.
DIAMONDBACKS 3, PADRES 2 Starling Marte and Stephen Vogt homered off Chris Paddack in the sixth inning, and visiting Arizona beat San Diego.
GIANTS 5, DODGERS 4 Austin Slater had his first multi-home run game, and Johnny Cueto took a no-hitter into the sixth inning for victorious San Francisco over Los Angeles.
Saturday’s games
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 0
Cincinnati 4, Milwaukee 1
NY Mets 8, Miami 4
Arizona 3, San Diego 2
San Francisco 5, LA Dodgers 4
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis, ppd., coronaviurus
AMERICAN LEAGUE
NY Yankees 8-3, Tampa Bay 4-5
Cleveland 7, Chicago White Sox 1
Oakland 3, Houston 1
Texas 2, LA Angels 0
Kansas City 9, Minnesota 6
Toronto 2, Boston 1
INTERLEAGUE
Detroit 11, Pittsburgh 5
Baltimore 5, Washington 3
Colorado 5, Seattle 0