DETROIT – Jo Adell hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the ninth inning for his first homer this season, lifting the Los Angeles Angels to an 8-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.
“That power we see in batter’s practice every day," Angels manager Joe Maddon said.
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Miguel Cabrera, one home run away from No. 500, was 0 for 2 with two walks that Maddon insisted were not intentional.
“We were just trying to sell tickets for (Wednesday)," Maddon joked.
Mike Mayers (3-4) struck out the side in the eighth inning on 10 pitches for the Angels and gave up only one hit in the ninth.
Gregory Soto (4-3) retired just two batters in the ninth when he gave up six runs, five earned, on four hits and two walks.
“An ugly end to a frustrating night," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.
Detroit's Casey Mize lasted just four innings and gave up two runs on four hits and four walks.
“Not very sharp at all," said Mize, the No. 1 pick overall in 2018.
Kyle Funkhouser, Joe Jimenez. Michael Fulmer and Jose Cisnero combined to pitch four innings of scoreless relief for the Tigers.
Los Angeles' Dylan Bundy allowed two runs on three hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. Austin Warren, Steve Cishek and Mayers followed with 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a single and scored on Jack Mayfield's two-out single, giving the Angels a 1-0 lead.
Mayfield put Los Angeles ahead 2-0 with another RBI single in the third. In the home half, Jonathan Schoop's single pulled Detroit within a run and Robbie Grossman hit a game-tying single in the fifth.
A crowd of 24,714 showed up, hoping Cabrera would reach a milestone nearly a week after hitting home run No. 499 at Baltimore.
Fans in the stands stood and cheered as Cabrera walked to the plate for his first at-bat and created a buzz at Comerica Park that was missing in recent games as the crowd was quietly trying to capture his milestone with cellphones.
Hinch said before the game that it was eerily quiet during some previous at-bats, allowing him to hear one fan's FaceTime conversation.
Cabrera hit a fly into foul territory beyond the right-field line in the first inning and struck out looking in the third against starting pitcher Bundy.
In his third and fourth at-bats, Cabrera walked on four pitches against Warren and Cishek.
HE SAID IT
Tigers broadcaster and pitching great Jack Morris publicly regretted what he said, in an accent, about being careful while pitching to Ohtani.
“I sincerely apologize if offended anybody, especially anybody in the Asian community for what I said," Morris said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: OF Mike Trout (calf) did some throwing drills and warmed up with teammates on the field before the game, keeping hopes he can return this year.
“You have to wait until the next day to see how he feels," Maddon said.
Tigers: C Eric Haase (back) was scratched and replaced in the lineup by Grayson Greiner.
“He won’t play (Wednesday), proactively," Hinch said.
RHP Jose Urena (groin) started a rehab assignment Tuesday night with Triple-A Toledo, where IF Isaac Paredes (hip) had his rehab transferred to from Single-A Lakeland. ... OF Akil Baddoo (concussion) will likely have a rehab assignment with the Mud Hens before being activated.
ON THE MOVE
The Tigers requested unconditional release waivers for RHP Buck Farmer, who cleared outright waivers.
UP NEXT
Ohtani (7-1) is scheduled to be on the mound while Detroit counters with Tarik Skubal (8-10) on Wednesday night in the second game of the three-game series.
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