Colt Keith produced his first career three-homer game as the visiting Detroit Tigers slugged five home runs en route to a 9-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday.
Keith finished 3-for-4 with two two-run homers, a solo shot and a career-high six RBIs. Kevin McGonigle and Spencer Torkelson also homered for the Tigers, who improved to 8-4 this month.
Astros right-hander Kai-Wei Teng (3-6) surrendered three homers to the Tigers while compiling an unusual pitching line.
Teng hit Keith with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the first inning as the Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead without the benefit of a hit. Teng walked McGonigle and Riley Greene before hitting both Dillon Dingler and Keith. Teng also recorded three strikeouts in the first.
Teng also struck out three batters in the second inning, including Zach McKinstry and James Outman to start the frame. But McGonigle launched a 1-0 slider from Teng 383 feet into right field for his fifth home run, giving Detroit a 2-0 lead.
In the third, Teng allowed a two-run homer to Keith that brought Dingler home and increased the Tigers’ lead to 4-0. One batter after Keith crushed a 411-foot drive to right-center for his second homer of the season, Torkelson followed with his 12th, a sharp line drive that ricocheted off the left-field foul pole.
Teng allowed five runs on six hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings, but posted a career-high nine strikeouts. Teng and four Astros relievers combined to record 18 strikeouts.
Tigers right-hander Troy Melton (back) was a late scratch. Detroit pivoted to a bullpen game, with Drew Anderson serving as the opener. Trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the third, the Astros rallied against Jacob Waguespack, the second pitcher for the Tigers.
Isaac Paredes greeted Waguespack with a two-run homer, his 10th, before Jose Altuve followed with his seventh homer, a solo shot to left-center that reduced the deficit to 5-3.
Dingler tripled and scored in the fifth. Keith added his second and third homers of the game off Jayden Murray and Bryan Abreu in the seventh and ninth innings, respectively.
