Sanchez Stellar in Tigers Finale

The Detroit Tigers were able to use a strong start and capitalize on a last-minute change from the San Francisco Giants to win their three-game finale Thursday afternoon.

Anibal Sanchez struck out eight in six innings to earn his first win of the season in a 6-2 victory for the Tigers. Since Sanchez's return from the Toledo Mudhens June 19th, he has thrown at least five innings in each start and had not received a decision in three previous contests. He allowed both runs on five hits in the win, moving him to 1-0 in 2017.

The Tiger "cubs" provided the offense, with Dixon Machado striking his first career homer with the big club and driving in two runs. Alex Presley had two hits on the day, bringing in two runs. Nicholas Castellanos added two hits.

Detroit scored five runs in the first four innings off of Chris Stratton, making his first start. Johnny Cueto was pulled from the start before game time from an inner ear infection.

The Motown Cats make their way to Cleveland for the weekend to see the Indians for a three-game series. It's the final series before the Major League Baseball All-Star Break. The Tigers will send out Jordan Zimmermann (5-6, 5.58 ERA) and the Indians will counter with Carlos Carrasco (9-3, 3.50 ERA). Catch the opener of the series Friday night at 6:45pm on 95.3 WBCK!