DETROIT -- Andrew Romine somehow had 57 plate appearances as a member of the Tigers before laying down a sacrifice bunt. His first was one of the differences on Monday night. So, too, was a running catch in deep right-center field from Austin Jackson, a difficult judge on a tricky hop by Nick Castellanos at third base, all before a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning by Rajai Davis.Few would've expected that thin of a margin with the Tigers coming home to face the Astros. Fewer would have expected a pitching duel between Max Scherzer and Jarred Cosart. The end result of a 2-0 Tigers victory might have gone as many figured, but it took a lot to get there. 
When Davis sent a ground ball through the left side to send home Castellanos, it wasn't just the only hit of the go-ahead rally. It was the first Tigers hit since the third inning, and just the fourth of the game. With eight shutout innings from Scherzer, plus an insurance homer from Victor Martinez, it was enough for Detroit's sixth consecutive win.Scherzer (4-1) allowed three singles and a walk while striking out nine, including five of the first eight Astros he faced. However, the man with the highest run support in the game last season found himself trading zeros with Cosart, who pitched seven innings with one earned run or less three times last year and had only one win to show for it.This time, Cosart's downfall was an unearned run that began with a drop by first baseman Krauss on a Matt Dominguez throw. It put Castellanos on base to lead off the seventh, just after Jackson's running catch and Castellanos' play ended the top half.Cosart (1-3) just missed on a full-count offering to Alex Avila, moving Castellanos to second. That brought up Romine, who fouled off his first bunt attempt on a fastball over the plate before reaching for an outside fastball and laying down a slow roller down the third-base line.Up came Davis, who improved to 10-for-23 with nine RBIs this year with runners in scoring position. Martinez's insurance shot, his fifth home run of the year, came off Detroit area native Anthony Bass in his first homecoming as a Major Leaguer.Jason Beck / MLB.com
When Davis sent a ground ball through the left side to send home Castellanos, it wasn't just the only hit of the go-ahead rally. It was the first Tigers hit since the third inning, and just the fourth of the game. With eight shutout innings from Scherzer, plus an insurance homer from Victor Martinez, it was enough for Detroit's sixth consecutive win.Scherzer (4-1) allowed three singles and a walk while striking out nine, including five of the first eight Astros he faced. However, the man with the highest run support in the game last season found himself trading zeros with Cosart, who pitched seven innings with one earned run or less three times last year and had only one win to show for it.This time, Cosart's downfall was an unearned run that began with a drop by first baseman Krauss on a Matt Dominguez throw. It put Castellanos on base to lead off the seventh, just after Jackson's running catch and Castellanos' play ended the top half.Cosart (1-3) just missed on a full-count offering to Alex Avila, moving Castellanos to second. That brought up Romine, who fouled off his first bunt attempt on a fastball over the plate before reaching for an outside fastball and laying down a slow roller down the third-base line.Up came Davis, who improved to 10-for-23 with nine RBIs this year with runners in scoring position. Martinez's insurance shot, his fifth home run of the year, came off Detroit area native Anthony Bass in his first homecoming as a Major Leaguer.Jason Beck / MLB.com
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
