DETROIT (AP) - Jose Iglesias has won a lot of games for the Detroit Tigers with his glove.
Lately, he’s been helping out with his bat as well.
Iglesias had two RBI doubles as the Tigers rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on Saturday.
Iglesias is hitting .364 with four doubles, a homer and 11 RBI in his last 14 games, raising his batting average from .239 to .261.
“I’m just trying to keep putting the ball in play, and right now, good things are happening,” he said. “I can’t let myself try to do more than that.”
Iglesias’ second run-scoring double tied the game at 3 in the seventh. Ian Kinsler then flared a single to center to give Detroit the lead.
Kinsler followed up the single with a spectacular defensive play , racing down the right-field line and leaning into the stands to catch Josh Reddick’s pop fly.
“Not only did he cover that much ground, he had keep track of the railing, the fans and the right fielder,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “Even though it is a foul ball, it is huge to eliminate an out when you’ve got a lead in the eighth.”
Victor Martinez made it 5-3 with an RBI single in the eighth to help lock up Detroit’s third win in 10 games.
Matt Boyd (5-5) allowed three runs on eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. He struck out five without walking a batter. Justin Wilson, the subject of trade rumors, pitched the ninth for his 13th save.
“Alex (Avila) called a great game, and I thought we did a great job of keeping them off balance,” Boyd said. “There were a few bad pitches, but I limited the damage.”
Making his second start of the season, Collin McHugh dominated the Tigers, allowing one run on four hits in six innings. He struck out seven.
“I did some things better than I did in my first start,” he said. “That’s a tough lineup, so it was nice to have all of my pitches working tonight.”
Jose Altuve went 0-for-4, snapping his 19-game hitting streak and dropping his batting average to .365, which still leads the majors.
Francis Martes (3-1) took the loss after relieving McHugh in the seventh. He was lifted after Iglesias’ game-tying double and was charged with three runs on two hits.
Evan Gattis gave the Astros a 2-0 lead with a long homer to left in the first inning. Derek Fisher drove home Houston’s third run with a triple in the fourth, but Boyd struck out the next two batters to avoid further damage.
“We really didn’t do a lot after the fourth,” Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s got good stuff and he was able to make some adjustments early in the game.”
Iglesias’s RBI double in the fifth got the Tigers on the board. Boyd took a line drive from Gattis off his shin in the sixth but induced a double-play grounder from Carlos Beltran.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: 3B Colin Moran (fractured cheek) has returned to Houston to examine options for facial surgery. Manager Hinch said he expects to have news on Moran’s plans when the team returns home on Monday.
Tigers: Placed OF Alex Presley on the 10-day disabled list with a right side strain and recalled OF Jim Adduci from Triple-A Toledo. Presley is hitting .313 in 34 games this season, while Adduci has an .845 OPS in 17 major-league games this year.
NEW FATHER
Boyd’s victory came two days after his wife Ashley gave birth to their first child. Meira Joy Boyd was born in Detroit on an off day, so he avoided a stay on the paternity list.
“It is obviously incredible, but I had to put all that aside once I got here today,” he said. “The minute I walked into the clubhouse, I just focused on throwing strikes.”
UP NEXT
Astros: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (7-2, 3.67) will pitch in Sunday’s series finale - his third career start against Detroit. McCullers, whose father pitched for the Tigers in 1990, is 2-0 against them with a 1.64 ERA.
Tigers: RHP Justin Verlander (5-7, 4.50) will make his final start before the trade deadline. Verlander is 4-0 with a 2.83 ERA in eight starts against Houston.
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