Detroit built its cushion early and needed every bit of it. The Tigers scored in five different innings, and when Oakland finally made a game of it in the eighth, the lead was just barely enough to hold. Detroit won 8-6.

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Kevin McGonigle set the tone in the first inning with a solo homer to left, then added an RBI single in the eighth that plated McKinstry. He finished 3-for-4 with a homer and 2 RBI, and Gleyber Torres went 2-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBI of his own, his blast in the fifth erasing a tie and putting Detroit back in front for good. Torres carries a .266 average with 6 home runs and 25 RBI this season.

McGonigle's first-inning homer opened the scoring, and Keith's RBI single moments later made it 2-0. Oakland answered with single runs in the third and fourth to tie it at 2-2, but Torres homered in the fifth to score himself and McGonigle and put Detroit ahead 4-2 for good. Maceo Clark added a two-run homer in the sixth, and Torkelson and McGonigle drove in runs in the seventh and eighth to push the lead to 8-2 before Oakland's late push.

Oakland starter Jack Perkins allowed 6 runs on 9 hits over 5.1 innings with 9 strikeouts and took the loss, falling to 2-7 with a 6.72 ERA. The Athletics tried to climb back in the eighth when Henry Bolte homered to center, scoring White and Butler to cut the deficit to 8-5, and Bolte finished 3-for-4 with a homer and 3 RBI. McNeil's bunt single in the ninth brought Soderstrom home to make it 8-6, but Detroit closer Kenley Jansen worked around a run in his one inning to secure the save, his 13th of the season.

Framber Valdez went 7.0 innings for Detroit, allowing 2 runs on 9 hits with 6 strikeouts to pick up the win and move to 6-7 with a 4.41 ERA. The Tigers improved to 53-58 and have won two straight, while Oakland fell to 45-66, losers of four in a row.

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