Riley Greene powers Detroit Tigers to 4-2 win over Tampa Bay Rays with two home runs

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Riley Greene, the leadoff hitter for the Detroit Tigers, drew his MLB-leading 21st walk in the first inning. After that, he created damage in his second and fourth trips to the plate.

Greene hit a solo home run in the third inning and a two-run home run in the eighth inning for the first multi-homer game of his 216-game career, spanning three seasons. The 23-year-old has five home runs this season.

The Tigers — thanks to Greene — earned a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, the second of three games in the series at Tropicana Field. The pair of powerful swings from Greene combined for 834 feet of home runs.

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Right-hander Kenta Maeda threw five scoreless innings, but the Rays — sparked by an old friend — punched with a big swing in the sixth inning. Isaac Paredes, who played for the Tigers in 2020-21, launched a two-run home run off right-handed reliever Alex Faedo to put the Rays ahead, 2-1.

The Tigers (14-10) didn't give up.

In the eighth inning, the Tigers attacked left-handed reliever Colin Poche for three runs. Carson Kelly kickstarted the three-run inning by hitting a leadoff single, setting the table for Greene.

That's when Greene destroyed Poche's first-pitch fastball — with a 108.2 mph exit velocity — for a 408-foot home run to right-center field. His two-run homer flipped the momentum and gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

Greene, who grew up in nearby Oviedo before the Tigers selected him No. 5 overall in the 2019 draft, had a lot of family and friends in the stands. He showed off for his personal fan section with his first two-homer game.

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But the Tigers weren't done, as Mark Canha crushed a down-and-in slider for a solo home run to left-center field.

His fifth homer put the Tigers ahead, 4-2.

Right-handed relievers Alex Lange and Jason Foley locked down the eighth and ninth innings. Lange hasn't walked a batter — or allowed a run — in his past four appearances, while Foley picked up his seventh save in as many chances.

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Kenta Maeda improves

Maeda smacked his glove in the fifth inning when Richie Palacios flicked a below-the-zone slider to right field with two on and two outs.

Right fielder Wenceel Pérez caught the ball to complete Maeda's scoreless start in a crucial bounce-back performance. Maeda struggled with inconsistent mechanics in his first four starts, but in his fifth start, he was dominant from start to finish against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Maeda turned in a scoreless start for the first time this season, just one start after giving up six runs and failing to finish the third inning. Facing the Rays, Maeda allowed just three hits while working around three errors.

He struck out five batters.

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Maeda kept the Rays from scoring because of great fastball command and the best version of his slider.

He threw all eight pitches for strikes in the first inning, and throughout the outing, he located his fastball within the strike zone. His fastball averaged 90.3 mph in his fifth start, up from his average of 89.3 mph in his first four starts.

The first two batters of the game — Yandy Díaz and Palacios — reached safely on errors from the defense. Shortstop Javier Báez made a fielding error, then catcher Carson Kelly was called for catcher interference. Maeda avoided damage with a pop out and double play to end the first inning.

The third and final error from the Tigers defense occurred in the third inning, when José Caballero reached safely on a fielding error by second baseman Colt Keith. Although Caballero stole second base, Maeda didn't flinch as he sent down the next three batters to end the third.

He threw 59 of 88 pitches for strikes.

Maeda used seven different pitchers against the Rays: 30 sliders, 21 four-seam fastballs, 20 splitters, nine sinkers, four sweepers, three cutters and one curveball. He generated 12 whiffs on 47 swings with six sliders, three fastballs and three splitters.

He mixed in his sinker for the first time this season.

Riley Greene's first home run

In the third inning, Greene refused to chase a pair of down-and-away changeups before crushing his first of two home runs. He hammered Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot's two-strike slider to straightaway center field.

Greene hit the ball 426 feet with a 108 mph exit velocity.

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Pepiot, aside from Greene's solo homer, limited the Tigers through his six innings. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts, throwing 80 pitches. Still, the Tigers made contact on their swings and hit the ball hard.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Riley Greene's 2 homers power Detroit Tigers to 4-2 win at Rays