CLEVELAND — Harold Castro’s RBI single in the fifth inning supported five outs of perfect relief from Kyle Funkhouser, sending the Tigers to a 9-4 win over the Indians in Game 1 of a rain-delayed seven-inning doubleheader on Wednesday night at Progressive Field.
On a night when Tigers sinkerballer José Ureña allowed more home runs (four) than groundouts (three), Detroit used smaller ball from the bottom of the lineup to stay in the game and set up its bullpen. A two-run second inning included the Tigers’ first bases-loaded walk of the season, drawn by Castro. A two-run fourth included a Castro RBI double and a Jonathan Schoop sacrifice fly.
Castro, who entered the final day of June mired in a 4-for-45 skid for the month, completed his first multi-hit game since May 25 with an opposite-field line-drive single that scored Nomar Mazara to complete a two-out rally off Bryan Shaw. Miguel Cabrera’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly scored Schoop for an insurance run off Blake Parker.
Ureña, who was warmed up to start Tuesday night before rain hit just before first pitch, struck out five of his first nine batters — all swinging — but still struggled to contain a hyperaggressive Cleveland lineup that hit solo homers in each of the first four innings. It wasn’t one particular pitch that hurt Ureña, who gave up two homers off his sinker and one each off a changeup and slider.
Despite the damage, Ureña didn’t throw a pitch with a runner on base until Harold Ramirez followed Bobby Bradley’s second homer of the opener with a one-out walk in the fourth. Bradley Zimmer’s ensuing double presented Ureña with his first runners in scoring position, at which point manager A.J. Hinch turned to Funkhouser.
Funkhouser erased Cleveland’s chance at a go-ahead sacrifice fly by striking out Austin Hedges, then retired Oscar Mercado on a fly ball to the warning track in left-center. Once Detroit pulled ahead, Funkhouser stayed for the fifth and retired the top of Cleveland’s order, all on groundouts.
Funkhouser improved to 14-for-14 in stranding inherited baserunners, and recorded his ninth scoreless outing in his last 10 appearances, five of them longer than one inning. His work continues to deepen a Tigers bullpen that was short on options in tight situations with Michael Fulmer injured for most of the month.