JaCoby Jones hit a tiebreaking, two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning, and the visiting Detroit Tigers overcame an early deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-4 on Saturday.
After Austin Romine singled to open the ninth of a 4-4 game, ninth-place hitter Jones belted a pitch from Cincinnati closer Raisel Iglesias over the wall in left-center field to put the Tigers ahead in a game that featured a combined six home runs. Closer Joe Jimenez overcame a walk in the bottom of the ninth to earn the save and help Detroit even the three-game set that concludes Sunday.
Detroit did not have many answers for Reds starter Luis Castillo, who allowed a run and struck out 11 in six innings.
However, after Castillo left the game, Romine opened the seventh with a solo homer to left field off Robert Stephenson to make it 3-2. With two outs and a man on in the same inning, Miguel Cabrera crushed the ball just fair to left field off Michael Lorenzen for his 478th career homer to put the Tigers up 4-3.
Cincinnati catcher Curt Casali, though, tied it at 4-4 with an opposite solo shot off Tyler Alexander with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
The Tigers opened the scoring on C.J. Cron's two-out, first-inning double down the left-field line that scored Jonathan Schoop from first base. Cron, who homered Friday, is 3 for 8 in the first two games.
However, Joey Votto tied the game in the bottom of the frame with his second solo homer to right field in as many games. An inning later, Freddy Galvis clubbed a two-run shot into the right-field bullpen to make it 3-1.
Ivan Nova allowed those homers to Votto and Galvis, plus one other hit while striking out two and walking four over five innings of his Detroit debut. Schoop, meanwhile, finished with three hits.
The Reds announced Saturday that infielder Matt Davidson tested positive for COVID-19, and was placed on the 10-day injured list. Davidson went 0 for 2 as Cincinnati's designated hitter before exiting during Friday's 7-1 victory.
--Field Level Media