After defeating the Chicago Cubs 10-8 on Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers thumped them again. It was a 15-8 victory for Detroit on Wednesday to sweep the two-game series.
Detroit was led by Nick Castellanos, who finished 4-for-5 with five RBI. The homered to right field in the second, hit a grand-slam in the third and doubled twice. Castellanos is hitting .244 on the season with 13 home runs and 58 RBI.
The Tigers had 10 other runs that were not produced by Castellanos.
Daniel Norris, the pitcher, produced two of the 15 total runs. The lefty cranked a two-run shot to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the second inning. It was his first major league at-bat and his first major league home run, which is a very impressing feat, especially for a pitcher.
Norris was removed from the game in the fifth inning with a right oblique strain. He went 4.1 innings and gave up three runs on four hits and one walk, while striking out six hitters in the contest.
With the Tigers winning 7-0, Chicago got their offensive power rolling. Dexter Fowler started things up with a solo shot to right, but the real bang came off the bat of rookie Kris Bryant. The outfielder hit a two-run shot to put the Cubs within four runs.
Bryant finished 4-for-4 with a home run, triple, two singles and a walk. The rookie is batting .259 with 17 home runs and 68 RBI on the season. Bryant is looking at a possible National League Rookie of the Year award.
Jon Lester toed the slab to start things off in Chicago, but the lefty only lasted 2.2 innings. All in all, Lester gave up seven runs on seven hits and three walks. The 31-year-old is 8-9 with a 3.58 ERA after the loss.
The Tigers had a 10-6 lead when rookie Kyle Schwarber made his presence felt with a solo jack to center field. The catcher, who can also play left field, has been on fire with a .311 batting average, 10 home runs and 31 RBI since being called up to the Big Leagues.
The Tigers bullpen struggled once again. The five pitchers combined for 4.2 innings pitched, but they gave up five runs on five hits and three walks. Neftali Feliz got the win and is now 3-3 with a 7.24 ERA on the season.
Detroit's offensive talent was capped off by J.D. Martinez in the ninth inning. The slugger slammed a two-run home run to left field, scoring Miguel Cabrera to give the Tigers a 15-7 lead.
The final run of the game came off Jorge Soler's sacrifice fly to center in the bottom of the ninth.
On a side note, Chris Denorfia, a regular outfielder, threw two pitches to record the out of Jose Iglesias to end the ninth inning.