DETROIT (AP) — Matt Carpenter homered twice in his return from a back injury, Jake Rogers drove in seven runs and pitcher Tarik Skubal earned his MLB-leading 14th victory as the Detroit Tigers routed the Seattle Mariners 15-1 on Tuesday night.
Rogers drove in two runs with a double in the third inning, added a slam in the fourth and hit an RBI double in the sixth to become the first Tigers player with seven RBIs in a game since Ryan Raburn accomplished the feat against the Chicago White Sox on July 25, 2007.
The Tigers scored a season-high in runs and banged out a season-best 21 hits in their second straight victory and fourth win in seven games.
Skubal allowed one run on three hits in six innings. The 27-year-old left-hander struck out nine — raising his season total to a majors-leading 180 — walked one and hit two batters. Joey Wentz pitched the final three innings and earned his first MLB save.
Seattle’s George Kirby (8-9) had his worst MLB start, allowing career highs in runs (11) and hits (13) in 3 2/3 innings.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first when Matt Vierling led off with a single and scored on a two-out hit by Bligh Madris.
Detroit scored four runs in the third and six in the fourth.
Carpenter, playing for the first time since May 26, homered off Kirby to make it 2-0 in the third. Madris added another RBI single later in the inning before scoring on Rogers’ two-run double.
Mitch Haniger’s RBI single got the Mariners on the board in the fourth, but Carpenter hit a two-run homer to make it 7-1 in the bottom half.
Rogers ended Kirby’s night with a grand slam with two outs.
Javier Báez added a two-run homer off Troy Taylor in a four-run sixth.
Mariners shortstop Luis Rivas pitched a scoreless ninth.
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Seattle RHP Bryan Woo (5-1) is scheduled to work the second game of the series against a bullpen game from the short-handed Tigers’ pitching staff.
