Homers, Lorenzen power Reds past Tigers

DETROIT -- Todd Frazier powered the Reds through their scoring struggles with a pair of home runs, including a go-ahead drive to center field in the seventh inning, as Cincinnati gained a split in the two-game Interleague set against the Tigers with a 5-2 win Tuesday night at Comerica Park.

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One night after Anibal Sanchez allowed just four balls out of the infield in a shutout, the Reds hit almost that many balls out of the park off lefty Kyle Ryan (1-1). Frazier and Jay Bruce hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning after Ryan faced the minimum 12 batters through four. Ryan settled down from there, but paid dearly for his first pitch of the seventh inning to Frazier, who sent it toward the flagpole in the depths of left-center field.

"He's having an even bigger year than the statistics would suggest for our ballclub," Reds manager Bryan Price said of Frazier.

The rally made a winner of Michael Lorenzen (2-2), who had a hard-luck unearned run on a Yoenis Cespedes ricochet ball in the fifth inning, but otherwise contained the damage for six innings.

"I thought the way he went about his business today, he just showed that he was willing to go out there and attack," Price said about Lorenzen. "We played some nice defense behind him, and he made the pitches he needed to make."

The Reds got a Billy Hamilton RBI single in the seventh, and a run on a throwing error by Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias in the ninth.

J.J. Hoover and Aroldis Chapman shut down Detroit in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to secure the win.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Out goes Frazier: Frazier ended the Reds' scoreless streak at 18 innings with a game-tying solo home run in the fifth. He delivered again in the seventh, for a 3-2 Cincinnati lead. It marked the fifth multi-homer game of Frazier's career, and the second blast was the 29-year-old's 500th Major League hit.

"His power is prodigious," Price said. More >

Video: CIN@DET: Frazier, Bruce hit back-to-back homers

McCann-on strikes again: James McCann has thrown out half of would-be basestealers this season, but he racked up perhaps the biggest catch of all when he threw out Hamilton trying to swipe second base with two outs in the seventh. He joined Milwaukee's Martin Maldonado, Atlanta's A.J. Pierzynski and Cleveland's Roberto Perez as the only catchers to throw out Hamilton this season.

Cabrera plates Tigers first run: After mashing Cleveland pitching last weekend, Miguel Cabrera has extended his offensive impact to Ohio's other team. With Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips shifted up the middle, Cabrera hit his first-inning RBI single right where Phillips had been standing, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead. It marked Cabrera's fifth consecutive game with an RBI. More >

QUOTABLE
"I know I can hit a ball out of any park. Not to be cocky or anything about it, I have that power, and I've pretty much shown it. -- Frazier, on his second home run.

"I missed. I missed twice." -- Ryan, on Frazier's two home runs.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Frazier has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, batting .413 (19-for-46) with 11 extra-base hits and 12 runs scored in that span.

REPLAY REVIEW
With the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning, Cespedes hit a line drive that deflected off Lorenzen's shin and rolled into foul territory by first base. McCann scored from third base, and Anthony Gose took advantage of the confusion to try and reach home from second. Joey Votto's throw beat Gose to the plate, but the center fielder made the play close by sliding under Brayan Pena's tag. Home-plate umpire Mike Everitt called Gose out, and the call was ruled to stand after a 3-minute, 38-second review.

Video: CIN@DET: Votto throws out Gose at home, call stands

"I thought you could make the argument that [Pena] might have blocked the plate, as well," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "That's a much more amorphous rule, and even harder to get overturned on a challenge, so we went with the play that we thought had a better chance of being overturned, which was the actual tagging of Gose as he slid into home."

In the ninth inning, Joba Chamberlain picked Hamilton off second base with a quick turn and throw to Ian Kinsler. The Reds challenged the call by second-base umpire Todd Tichenor, but replays were inconclusive and the call was ruled to stand after a 1-minute, 40-second break. More >

Video: CIN@DET: Hamilton picked off in 9th, call stands

WHAT'S NEXT
Reds: Right-hander Johnny Cueto takes the mound for Cincinnati on Wednesday in his first career start against Detroit. The right-hander has a 2.25 ERA since missing his scheduled start May 24 with a sore elbow, and he boasts a 1.25 ERA in five contests at Great American Ball Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Tigers: David Price will try to become the first Tiger to throw complete games in three consecutive starts since Jack Morris in 1990, and join Rick Porcello as the only Tigers since Morris in 1986 to throw back-to-back shutouts. Price gets the ball as the series shifts to Cincinnati on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET.

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