Colt Keith has 3 home runs and 6 RBIs as Tigers blow past Astros 9-3

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HOUSTON (AP) — Colt Keith hit three home runs and six RBIs as the Detroit Tigers took down the Houston Astros 9-3 on Monday night.

Kevin McGonigle and Spencer Torkelson each added homers of their own in an 11-hit game for Detroit.

The 24-year-old Keith, who entered the day with one home run in 65 games this season, became the youngest Tigers player with a three-homer game since 1955. This century, only eight different Tigers have accomplished the feat — including Miguel Cabrera twice.

McGonigle homered in the second inning for a 2-0 lead before Keith drilled his first homer of the night, a 411-foot two-run shot, in the top of the third. Torkelson followed with his 12th home run of the season to put the Tigers up 5-0.

Keith launched his second ball over the right field wall to plate two more runs in the seventh before capping the scoring with a solo shot to left field in the ninth to seal the win.

The Tigers also plated runs on a Keith RBI hit by pitch in the first and a passed ball by Astros catcher Christian Vázquez in the fifth that scored Dillon Dingler.

Kyle Finnegan (2-0) threw a one-hit fifth inning to earn the win in relief. Tyler Holton worked 1 2/3 innings for his fifth-straight scoreless outing. The Tigers scratched starter Troy Melton with back tightness before the game, forcing a bullpen outing that allowed seven hits combined.

Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve connected on back-to-back homers in the third inning to pull within 5-3, but that was all Houston mustered offensively.

Kai-Wei Teng (3-6) surrendered five runs on six hits and struck out nine for the Astros.

LHP Framber Valdez (3-5, 4.40 ERA) gets the start for the Tigers and RHP Hunter Brown (1-0, 0.84 ERA) takes the mound for the Astros in the second game of the series.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb