Kenta Maeda gets first win for Tigers, 4-1 over Cardinals
DETROIT (AP) — Kenta Maeda got his first win for Detroit, allowing four hits over six innings in a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday as the Tigers took two of three games in the series.
Matt Vierling had three RBIs for the Tigers, who are 31-16 against St. Louis in interleague play. The teams also met in three World Series, with the Cardinals winning in 1934 and 2006, and Detroit taking the title in 1968.
Maeda (1-1) allowed a fourth-inning home run to Willson Contreras that landed in shrubbery above the center-field fence. He struck out five and walked none.
The 36-year-old right-hander, who signed a $24 million, two-year contract during the offseason, had a 7.64 ERA in his first four starts but has lowered it to 5.02 by allowing one run over 11 innings in his last two outings. He spent his first seven big league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota.
Alex Lange got four outs for his second save.
Miles Mikolas (2-4), facing Detroit for the first time, gave up three runs and six hits in six innings.
Vierling singled leading off the second and scored on Colt Keith’s double, then hit a two-run, two-out homer in the third and added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals OF Dylan Carlson (shoulder) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday, going 0 for 1 with two walks as the designated hitter. Carlson has been sidelined since an outfield collision in spring training.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: RHP Sonny Gray (3-1, 1.16) is scheduled to start Friday at home against Chicago White Sox RHP Brad Keller (0-0, 0.00), whose only appearance this season has been a five-out relief outing,
Tigers: RHP Reese Olson (0-4, 3.18) is expected to start on Friday at the New York Yankees.
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