Nick Maton bails out Detroit Tigers with 3-run homer for 4-2 win over Milwaukee Brewers

MILWAUKEE — The Detroit Tigers looked like they were about to blow another scoring opportunity in the third inning. The first four batters reached safely but were responsible for two outs.

Eric Haase was thrown out trying to steal second base for the first out, and Riley Greene was caught between second base and third base because of a mental mistake for the second out.

Nick Maton bailed out the Tigers' offense, though, when he hit a three-run home run with two outs in the third inning. The Tigers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2, in Monday's series opener at American Family Field.

"We obviously made a couple mistakes, but Nick came up with a big hit," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "The one hit that we haven't been able to get over the last week or so was the big hit with runners in scoring position, oftentimes with two outs. That's the most important part, not trying to cover up a mistake on the bases."

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The Tigers (8-13) snapped a four-game losing streak, and in one game, the offense scored more runs than it did over the weekend with three runs in three losses against the Baltimore Orioles.

"Big swing by Nick right there," Haase said. "We needed that big time. It just changes the ballgame. Now our bullpen can come in with the lead, and we're not having to give into anybody. We can kind of do what we want, not work from behind trying to get something going."

The third inning started with Brewers right-hander Colin Rea issuing a leadoff walk to Haase. He tried stealing a base for the fourth time in his career and wasn't successful. Akil Baddoo received a cutter inside the strike zone in a 2-1 count but missed the swing sign in a hit-and-run situation.

Then, Baddoo and Greene worked back-to-back walks.

On Javier Báez's ensuing single, Baddoo slammed on the brakes at third base as right fielder Brian Anderson threw to catcher William Contreras. Greene, however, kept running to third base and got caught in a rundown for the second out.

That left runners on the corners for Maton, as he received three straight balls from Rea for a 3-0 count. He fouled off the next pitch for a 3-1 count before getting a fifth-pitch fastball.

The heater, which left his bat with a 106.1 mph exit velocity, traveled 390 feet to the upper deck in right field for a three-run home run and a 3-1 Tigers lead.

The Tigers took a 3-1 lead.

"Definitely needed that one personally and needed that one as a team," Maton said. "One game can change everything. I had the same confidence of what I can do this entire time, whether the results show it or not, and I'm going to keep grinding. It's a long season and a tough game."

Maton, who entered the game in an 0-for-21 slump and served as the cleanup hitter, finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and one strikeout, while Báez — returning from a swollen finger on his left hand — went 2-for-3 with one walk.

Báez increased his batting average to .222 through 20 games.

Eight strikeouts, two homers

Left-hander Matthew Boyd, in his fourth start of the season, allowed two runs on five hits and one walk with eight strikeouts. He gave up solo home runs on fastballs in the first and third innings.

Other than the two homers, Boyd turned in an excellent performance to lead the Tigers through five innings.

"He was pounding the strike zone early," Hinch said. "He yanked a couple balls in the zone to some dangerous hitters and paid for it with a couple of homers. But for the most part, he could spin it for a strike. He could mix and match. He was really effective."

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The homers came from Contreras in the first inning and Mike Brosseau (Oakland U.) in the third inning. Both hitters crushed fastballs to straightaway center field, and both homers traveled 410 feet.

Another thing: Both homers occurred after Boyd struck out the first two batters in the innings. He also struck out the next batters — Anderson in the first and Willy Adames in the third — to avoid further damage.

"The one to Brosseau, it's a hitter's count and I threw a fastball over the heart of the plate," Boyd said. "In hindsight, that's kind of stupid that I gave him that opportunity. And then I just missed with Contreras. I was trying to elevate, and I threw it middle. Didn't really make that mistake much later on."

In the fourth, Boyd loaded the bases with two outs on singles from Contreras, Anderson and Owen Miller. He fell behind 1-0 in the count to Blake Perkins but bounced back by mixing three different pitches for strikes: curveball (called strike), slider (called strike) and fastball (swinging strike).

"He won the at-bat," Hinch said. "We've talked about some tough stretches where we haven't won the good at-bat, either on defense or offense, and Boyd did it tonight with the big punch out."

Boyd issued his only walk in the fifth inning and threw 66 of 87 pitches for strikes. He generated 19 swings and misses with 11 fastballs, two sliders, five changeups and one curveball.

His fastball averaged 92.4 mph.

"I can get swings and misses with the fastball up in the zone," Boyd said. "I can get swings and misses with my offspeed down in the zone. It's pitching off the strengths that we have, and it's cool to be able to get those strikeouts in those situations with those pitches. It's pretty awesome."

Bullpen beats Brew Crew

The Tigers added an insurance run in the fifth inning.

Haase opened the inning with a double and advanced to third base on Baddoo's groundout to the right side of the infield. Greene bounced a grounder to the second baseman, but Haase beat the throw home for a 4-2 advantage.

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After Boyd's five innings, four relievers slammed the door on the Brewers through the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. The four relievers — José Cisnero (nine pitches), Tyler Holton (five pitches), Jason Foley (nine pitches) and Alex Lange (14 pitches) — worked quickly, didn't allow a hit or a walk and didn't record a strikeout (until the ninth inning).

Lange struck out Rowdy Tellez and former Temperance Bedford star Joey Wiemer in the ninth and earned his second save of the season.

"I'm going to attack you with my stuff," Lange said. "You know what's coming. Let's go."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.

Next up: Brewers

Matchup: Tigers (8-13) at Milwaukee (15-8).

First pitch: 7:40 p.m. Tuesday; American Family Field, Milwaukee.

TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).

Probable pitchers: Tigers — RHP Spencer Turnbull (1-3, 7.85 ERA); Brewers — LHP Eric Lauer (3-1, 4.30).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Nick Maton bails out Detroit Tigers with HR for 4-2 win over Brewers