Tuesday, July 31, 2018 07:10 PM (ET)

Tigers edge Reds 2-1 behind Boyd

Field Level Media
Jul 31, 2018

Matthew Boyd outdueled Homer Bailey, and Niko Goodrum hit a solo homer to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.

Boyd (6-9) held the Reds to four hits and a walk in eight scoreless innings while striking out seven. Shane Greene recorded his 22nd save despite giving up a run in the ninth.

Goodrum broke a scoreless deadlock with a fourth-inning homer. Mike Gerber, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day, supplied a run-scoring double in the eighth inning for his first major league hit and RBI.

Bailey (1-8) tossed an eight-inning complete game. He limited the Tigers to two runs on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts in his second start since coming off the disabled list.

Eugenio Suarez was thrown out at home by Detroit center fielder JaCoby Jones in the second inning while trying to score from third on Tucker Barnhart's fly ball.

A baserunning error prevented the Reds from scoring in the fourth. Phillip Ervin doubled with one out but hesitated when Joey Votto drilled a Boyd offering off the right field wall. Ervin was held up at the third as Votto cruised into second.

Boyd struck out the next batter, then walked Scooter Gennett. Barnhart then grounded into a fielder's choice.

The Tigers didn't have a hit until Goodrum smoked a 1-0 Bailey pitch over the right-center-field fence with two outs in the fourth. It was Goodrum's first homer since the All-Star break and 10th of the season.

Following the close calls, Boyd got stronger as the game went along. He struck out two batters in the fifth and cruised through 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh.

Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias made a nifty stop and throw from his knees to rob Brandon Dixon of a hit in the eighth. Boyd then struck out Billy Hamilton in an 11-pitch at-bat and retired Jose Peraza on a routine fly ball.

Gerber's breakthrough hit came with two outs in the eighth. John Hicks led off with a single but was erased on a fielder's choice. One out later, Gerber smacked an opposite-field double as Iglesias scored.

Ervin led off the ninth against Greene with a triple, and he scored on Suarez's one-out sacrifice fly. Gennett struck out to end the game.

--Field Level Media

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