2014 TIGERS' SPRING TRAINING Grapefruit League Schedule

Miggy's moonshot backs strong Scherzer
Slugger hits fourth homer of spring; righty fans six in 6 2/3 solid innings

By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 3/27/2014 3:55 P.M. ET

BOX SCORE

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Miguel Cabrera's three-run home run spoiled Aaron Harang's first appearance in a Braves uniform, sending Max Scherzer and the Tigers to a middle-inning comeback with a 9-3 win Thursday afternoon at Joker Marchant Stadium.

The game closes the Braves' Grapefruit League schedule with a 12-18-3 record. Detroit heads into its Spring Training finale Friday against the Rays with a 14-12-2 mark.

Three days after signing a one-year contract to shore up the injury-shortened Braves pitching staff, Harang took the mound for Atlanta and more than held his own. He had a lead thanks to Jordan Schafer, who scored on a Freddie Freeman sacrifice fly in the third inning before slugging a solo homer in the fifth.

Once B.J. Upton jumped a first-pitch Scherzer changeup and sent it to the top of the left-field berm for his first home run of the spring, the Braves had a 3-1 lead for Harang going into the bottom of the fifth. One swing from Cabrera erased it.

In a regular-season game, Cabrera probably wouldn't have had the chance to swing at all. Harang had runners at second and third with nobody out after a Bryan Holaday single and an Alex Gonzalez walk, but he had kept them there by retiring Rajai Davis and Ian Kinsler. With first base open, Harang could have walked Cabrera and opted to face Victor Martinez.

In Spring Training, however, Harang pitched to Cabrera, who turned on a 1-1 pitch and sent it over the berm for his fourth home run of the spring and a 4-3 Detroit lead. Schafer's misplay an inning later on Holaday's single to center sent Austin Jackson around from first base for another run before Gonzalez doubled in Holaday for a 6-3 lead.

Tyler Collins put the game out of reach with a seventh-inning RBI triple.

Harang gave up six runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out two. Scherzer, who has a history of late-spring struggles on his way to regular-season readiness, submitted a solid start by allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits over 6 2/3 innings with six strikeouts.

Curt Powell padded the lead with a two-run single off Braves closer Craig Kimbrel in the eighth.

Up next: The Tigers wrap up their Grapefruit League schedule Friday with close to a regular lineup for their 1:05 p.m. ET game against the Rays at Joker Marchant Stadium in a game that can be heard live on Gameday Audio. Drew VerHagen, the pitching prospect who has a chance to serve as an insurance starter while working at Triple-A Toledo, is scheduled to make the start.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Bats waste no time in Tigers' Grapefruit finale
Miggy, Kinsler help open early scoring against Rays left-hander Moore

By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 3/28/2014 4:01 P.M. ET

BOX SCORE

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Alex Avila saved his first home run of the spring for the last game of the Grapefruit League season while Ian Kinsler scored twice against Rays lefty Matt Moore, sending the Tigers north with a 6-3 win Friday at Joker Marchant Stadium.

Tampa Bay finished with baseball's best record this spring at 16-7-4. Detroit closed its slate with a 15-12-2 mark.

Just over an hour after a news conference to announce his eight-year contract extension, Miguel Cabrera singled as part of three consecutive Tigers hits to open the game. Rajai Davis hit a leadoff single, took second base on a wild pitch and scored on a Kinsler single.

Moore regrouped after Cabrera's liner into shallow center to strike out Victor Martinez and Torii Hunter, but he gave up a second run when Austin Jackson's ground ball through the left side sent Kinsler home from second. That was the theme of the day for Moore, who alternated nasty pitches with damage control on his way to three runs on seven hits over three innings.

It was nevertheless encouraging for Moore, who didn't walk a batter after issuing 10 free passes over his previous two starts.

"For me, personally, it's a little bit easier to walk away from a game like this, where I was in a zone," Moore said. "They beat me. I didn't put them on. Try to work around some of those base hits, and we'll be ready for the season."

Kinsler's second run off Moore began with a leadoff single before two wild pitches put him in position to score on a Martinez liner into left. Moore escaped further damage when Brandon Guyer stretched for a diving catch in left-center field, robbing Nick Castellanos of an RBI double.

Avila's home run came off Joel Peralta. It was just his fourth extra-base hit in a Spring Training that saw him bat .306 (15-for-49) with four RBIs. Dominic Ficociello added an RBI single in the seventh.

Up next: The Tigers take a side trip on their trek north for an exhibition game Saturday in Washington, where they'll take on the Nationals in a 2:05 p.m. ET game that will be free on MLB.TV. The contest won't count in any standings, not even the Grapefruit League, but it'll be a big game for Anibal Sanchez, who makes his final tuneup before his regular-season debut next Thursday. Most of the projected Tigers starting lineup will play.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.