DETROIT — Parker Meadows and Spencer Torkelson homered, and the Detroit Tigers strengthened their bid for an AL wild card with a 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night.

Detroit moved 10 games over .500 with its fourth consecutive victory. It is tied with Kansas City (84-74) for second in the wild-card standings behind Baltimore.

The Tigers play the Rays on Thursday before finishing the season with three home games against the lowly Chicago White Sox.

Detroit is 29-11 since Aug. 10, thanks to ace Tarik Skubal, one of the favourites for the AL Cy Young Award, and a cast of young pitchers. On Wednesday, rookie Keider Montero pitched 2 2/3 innings of one-run ball before five relievers combined for 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

Jackson Jobe, Detroit's best pitching prospect, worked the ninth in his major league debut.

Tampa Bay right-hander Zach Littell (8-10) came into the game with a 20-inning scoreless streak, but he allowed two runs in the first. He went 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs and seven hits.

After Montero escaped a jam in the top of the first, Meadows hit Littell’s second pitch for his ninth home run. After two hard-hit outs, Riley Greene doubled and scored on Wenceel Perez’s base hit.

The Rays left the bases loaded in the second, but Junior Caminero made it 2-1 with his fifth homer in the third.

Greene responded with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

The Rays put two runners on in the sixth, but Tyler Holton came out of the bullpen to strike out pinch-hitter Dylan Carson.

Torkleson connected for a two-run homer against Manuel Rodríguez in the sixth. He also hit an RBI single off Drew Rasmussen in a two-run eighth.

UP NEXT

The teams finish the three-game series on Thursday. Former Tigers RHP Tyler Alexander (6-5, 5.35 ERA) will face Detroit RHP Reese Olson (4-8, 3.49 ERA).

Tigers tighten grip on wild-card spot with win over Rays

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