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Porcello helps Tigers halt Yankees' win streak

Aug 27, 2014 - 3:37 AM Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Rick Porcello pitched eight strong innings and J.D. Martinez went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, as the Detroit Tigers earned a 5-2 victory over New York and snapped the Yankees' season-high tying five-game winning streak.

Torii Hunter added two hits with an RBI for the Tigers, who had won the last two of a four-game series to earn a split over the weekend at Minnesota. Detroit remained 1 1/2 games behind first-place Kansas City in the AL Central, as the Royals came up with a 2-1 win over the Twins on a walk-off homer by Alex Gordon.

Porcello (15-8) and Yankees starter Brandon McCarthy were both coming off shutouts in their last outings, but only the Detroit right-hander followed it up with a strong effort on Tuesday.

After tossing a three-hit shutout last week against Tampa Bay, Porcello scattered nine hits on Tuesday, but limited New York to just two runs -- both on Jacoby Ellsbury homers -- and didn't walk a batter to join teammate Max Scherzer as the only 15-game winners in the American League.

"He did a really good job," said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus about Porcello. "He had a great sinker right from the get-go. He pitched outstanding."

Ellsbury, who went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in Monday's win at Kansas City, finished 3-for-4 on Tuesday. He is 11-for-17 lifetime against Porcello.

McCarthy (5-3), coming off a four-hit shutout against Houston, had his worst outing since joining the Yankees in a July 6 trade with Arizona. Only once in his first eight starts with New York did McCarthy allow more than two earned runs, but the Tigers ripped him for five earned on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings. He had beaten Detroit earlier this month, allowing one unearned run in 5 2/3 innings.

"They just kind of pieced together some hits in a couple of different innings," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi about his starter. "I didn't think he pitched that badly."

The Tigers couldn't cash in a one-out double by Hunter in the first inning, then loaded the bases with one out in the second and picked up a run when Rajai Davis worked a walk. McCarthy limited the damage when he got Ian Kinsler to hit into a double play.

"I just never felt settled in, wasn't sharp from the get-go," said McCarthy. "It was kind of battle right from the start. There are some days when the ball doesn't go where you want it to."

Two-out singles by Ichiro Suzuki and Ellsbury gave the Yankees a threat in the third, but Derek Jeter was caught looking at a third strike and Detroit added a run in the bottom of the inning with a two-out RBI single from Martinez. Miguel Cabrera doubled and scored the run for a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees again left two on in the fourth when Martin Prado grounded out and Stephen Drew flied to left, but finally dented Porcello with two outs in the fifth when Ellsbury connected for his 12th homer of the season.

McCarthy had retired seven straight Tigers heading into the sixth, but the first three batters reached and Detroit tacked on a pair of runs. Victor Martinez led off with a single, advanced to third on a double by J.D. Martinez and scored on Nick Castellanos' single to center. A double-play grounder by Alex Avila scored another run for a 4-1 lead.

Davis legged out a double to start the home seventh, advanced to third on a soft grounder and trotted home on Hunter's single to end McCarthy's night.

"We had a little carryover from Minnesota with the guys swinging the bats well," Ausmus added about the success against McCarthy. "We hadn't put together a streak of scoring runs, but we seem to have started to do that the past few days."

Ellsbury led off the eighth with his second homer of the game and Jeter reached on an infield single, but Porcello got Brian McCann on a double-play grounder and Mark Teixeira on a pop up to end his outing.

Joe Nathan worked a perfect ninth for his 28th save.

Game Notes

The start of the game was delayed for 68 minutes because of rain ... Ellsbury, who recorded his 1,000th career hit on Monday in Kansas City, is 15-for-31 with seven RBI in his last eight games ... Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner missed his third straight game with a bruised right ankle ... Cabrera was back in the lineup for Detroit after sitting out Sunday with a right ankle injury.