Kissimmee, FL (Sports Network) – Alex Avila drove in three runs and Andy Dirks added two hits and two RBI as Detroit ripped Houston, 9-1, in Grapefruit League action.
Will Rhymes finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice, while Austin Jackson contributed three hits and drove in a run for the Tigers.
Phil Coke worked five innings for the win, allowing four hits and one run.
Astros starter Brett Myers was torched in defeat for 12 hits and five runs with four strikeouts and three walks in five-plus frames. Hunter Pence drove in the lone run for Houston.
Michael Bourn, Carlos Lee, and Hunter Pence were the only Astros to come away with hits. Detroit’s bullpen threw four perfect innings after the game drifted out of hand. Wesley Wright was the lone Astro pitcher to get out of the outing unscathed, as he pitched a hitless inning in the sixth.
The Astros will face Washington tomorrow in more Grapefruit League action.