Through rain & hail, Tigers crush Twins, 10-2

Victor Martinez had three hits and four RBIs to push the Detroit Tigers past Francisco Liriano and the Minnesota Twins in a 10-2 rain-delayed victory at Target Field.

Jhonny Peralta’s two-run homer in the second inning ended Liriano’s bid for back-to-back no-hitters, and the left-hander’s outing was over after three innings due to an illness.

Brennan Boesch drove in two runs for the Tigers, who have won four straight and seven of eight overall. Rick Porcello (3-2) pitched five crisp innings, allowing one run and three hits.



But before Porcello could finish his time on the mound, rain & golf ball-sized hail came down hard on Target Field in the 4th inning, which delayed the game for 64 minutes. It was the first delay in the Minneapolis area since 1981 when the Twins played at the Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington.

As the grounds crew used a riding blower and rakes to clear the ice off the grass, Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander—apparently relaxed by his no-hitter over the weekend—picked up a bat and took a few swings while teammate Phil Coke tossed him some hail balls.