Devers homers twice to power Red Sox past Tigers 14-5

DETROIT – Rafael Devers homered twice, including his fifth career grand slam, and drove in five runs to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Detroit Tigers 14-5 on Saturday.

Devers’ grand slam capped a six-run, second inning. Adam Duvall hit a two-run homer, doubled twice and scored three runs for Boston, which has scored nine or more runs in half its eight games. Devers and Duvall also homered in Thursday’s series opener.

“That’s my job, just to slug and drive runners in,” said Duvall, who signed a $7 million, one-year contract as a free agent. “So, it feels good to come in and do your job. We had some extra base hits today and we’ve just got to keep the bats rolling.”

Raimel Tapia had a pinch two-run homer. Connor Wong and Rob Refsnyder also drove in two runs each.

Tanner Houck (2-0) gave up two runs and three hits in five innings.

Riley Greene drove in two runs for Detroit, which has lost three straight, been outscored 58-26 during a 2-6 start and is hitting .199 as a team.

Joey Wentz (0-2) walked four in the second inning, including Connor Wong and Rob Refsnyder with the bases loaded as Boston took a 2-0 lead. Garrett Hill relieved and Devers hit a 102 mph drive over the left-field wall.

Hill threw a changeup toward the outside corner and Devers guessed right.

“They were working me a little bit different,” Devers said through an translator. “I missed my fastball on the previous pitch, so I was trying to look for another pitch. I was able to get to that pitch and hit it out of the ballpark.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said very few players to could have done that type of damage on that pitch.

“I have no idea how he can do that,” Cora said. “It’s a pitch that’s going away and he stays inside, gets the barrel and drives it that way. Just to be able to do that, that’s impressive.”

Detroit manager A.J. Hinch was disappointed he needed to remove Wentz due to wildness.

“Joey just didn’t control the strike zone. It’s not easy,” he said. “I can sit where I sit and say throw strikes. He’s out there trying to throw strikes. But when you don’t control the zone, I mean, five walks and five runs scored and multiple balls left the ballpark. It just turned into a mess for him.”

Duvall’s fourth homer this season increased the lead to 8-0 in the third.

Detroit scored two runs in the fourth on Nick Maton‘s double and Spencer Torkelson‘s sacrifice fly.

Devers’ second homer of the game and fourth of the season came off Tyler Alexander in the seventh. Boston added three runs in the eighth.

ROSTER MOVES

Tigers OF Austin Meadows was placed on the 10-day IL due to what the team described as mental health issues. OF Akil Baddoo was recalled from Triple-A Toledo.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: RHP Garrett Whitlock (hip) is expected to be activated from the 15-day IL on Tuesday and start against Tampa Bay. He threw 81 pitches in a rehab start on Thursday for Double-A Portland, allowing one run and one hit over six innings.

Tigers: INF Tyler Nevin (left oblique strain) was reinstated from the 10-day IL and optioned to Triple-A Toledo.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: RHP Kutter Crawford (0-1, 15.75 ERA) will start the finale of the three-game series. He surrendered seven runs in four innings against Pittsburgh in his season debut on Monday.

Tigers: LHP Matthew Boyd (0-1, 4.15 ERA) will start the series finale. Boyd gave up two runs in 4 1/3 innings during his season debut at Houston on Monday.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.