ANAHEIM, Calif. -- For the first time since last September, J.D. Martinez stepped on home plate, smacked his chest a few times with his right hand and then looked up, pointing to the sky.
A few innings later, he got to celebrate all over again -- a welcome sight for his Detroit Tigers.
Martinez powered up in just his second game of the season, hitting his second homer of the game in the ninth inning to lift the Tigers over the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 on Saturday night.
"I still feel like I'm just trying to feel it out," Martinez said. "It was just one of those things where I ran into a couple of balls today."
Martinez opened the ninth with a solo shot off Bud Norris (1-2) to snap a 3-3 tie. He came off the disabled list Friday after missing the Tigers' first 33 games with a sprained right foot.
"You can tell how much we missed him based on this one game," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.
Martinez opened the scoring in the second inning, following Victor Martinez's single with a two-run homer off Ricky Nolasco.
"I'm just happy I can contribute to the win today," he said. "I've been down there just watching the team, wishing I could do something. It was one of those frustrating things."
Martinez said his foot still hurts and expects it will all season.
"It's something I already have in my mind," he said. "The doctor said it's normal. He said I'm not going to do anything wrong to it. You want it to feel better, you have to rest it. We have a season to play, so you don't have time to rest."
It remained 2-0 until the fifth, when Los Angeles' Albert Pujols poked a two-run single off starter Daniel Norris. That gave Pujols 1,844 RBI, tying Carl Yastrzemski for 11th on baseball's career list.
Alex Wilson (1-1) pitched the eighth and got the win. Justin Wilson struck out three in the ninth for his second save.
Justin Upton hit a solo home run in the sixth for his eighth of the season and a 3-2 lead.
The Angels tied it in the seventh when Mike Trout crushed a solo home run off Shane Greene for his 10th of the year.
Norris went 5 2/2 innings for the Tigers, allowing two runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out four.
Nolasco pitched six innings, surrendering three runs, five hits and four walks with four strikeouts.
"He's not quite where he wants to be, and at times when he's not making his pitches, he's paying the price for it," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: Ausmus had no concerns about J.D. Martinez after his first game Friday. Martinez batted sixth Saturday.
Angels: C.J. Cron (left foot bruise) started his fourth rehab game for Triple-A Salt Lake, Scioscia was uncertain how many additional games he would play before rejoining the Angels. He is 5 for 12 with a home run.
ESCOBAR EXITS
Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar left after the fifth when he felt a hamstring tighten up. Scioscia called him day to day, which makes him unlikely for Sunday's quick turnaround for an afternoon game. Scioscia said Cliff Pennington, Jefry Marte or Luis Valbuena could play third.
UP NEXT
Tigers: Justin Verlander (3-2, 4.25 ERA) will be looking for his third consecutive victory in the series finale against the Angels on Sunday. He is 6-7 lifetime against the Angels.
Angels: Right-hander Alex Meyer is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season. Meyer (1-1, 7.62 ERA) has struggled with his command, walking 12 and allowing 14 hits in his 13 innings.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Detroit Tigers
A few innings later, he got to celebrate all over again -- a welcome sight for his Detroit Tigers.
Martinez powered up in just his second game of the season, hitting his second homer of the game in the ninth inning to lift the Tigers over the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 on Saturday night.
"I still feel like I'm just trying to feel it out," Martinez said. "It was just one of those things where I ran into a couple of balls today."
Martinez opened the ninth with a solo shot off Bud Norris (1-2) to snap a 3-3 tie. He came off the disabled list Friday after missing the Tigers' first 33 games with a sprained right foot.
"You can tell how much we missed him based on this one game," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.
Martinez opened the scoring in the second inning, following Victor Martinez's single with a two-run homer off Ricky Nolasco.
"I'm just happy I can contribute to the win today," he said. "I've been down there just watching the team, wishing I could do something. It was one of those frustrating things."
Martinez said his foot still hurts and expects it will all season.
"It's something I already have in my mind," he said. "The doctor said it's normal. He said I'm not going to do anything wrong to it. You want it to feel better, you have to rest it. We have a season to play, so you don't have time to rest."
It remained 2-0 until the fifth, when Los Angeles' Albert Pujols poked a two-run single off starter Daniel Norris. That gave Pujols 1,844 RBI, tying Carl Yastrzemski for 11th on baseball's career list.
Alex Wilson (1-1) pitched the eighth and got the win. Justin Wilson struck out three in the ninth for his second save.
Justin Upton hit a solo home run in the sixth for his eighth of the season and a 3-2 lead.
The Angels tied it in the seventh when Mike Trout crushed a solo home run off Shane Greene for his 10th of the year.
Norris went 5 2/2 innings for the Tigers, allowing two runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out four.
Nolasco pitched six innings, surrendering three runs, five hits and four walks with four strikeouts.
"He's not quite where he wants to be, and at times when he's not making his pitches, he's paying the price for it," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: Ausmus had no concerns about J.D. Martinez after his first game Friday. Martinez batted sixth Saturday.
Angels: C.J. Cron (left foot bruise) started his fourth rehab game for Triple-A Salt Lake, Scioscia was uncertain how many additional games he would play before rejoining the Angels. He is 5 for 12 with a home run.
ESCOBAR EXITS
Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar left after the fifth when he felt a hamstring tighten up. Scioscia called him day to day, which makes him unlikely for Sunday's quick turnaround for an afternoon game. Scioscia said Cliff Pennington, Jefry Marte or Luis Valbuena could play third.
UP NEXT
Tigers: Justin Verlander (3-2, 4.25 ERA) will be looking for his third consecutive victory in the series finale against the Angels on Sunday. He is 6-7 lifetime against the Angels.
Angels: Right-hander Alex Meyer is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season. Meyer (1-1, 7.62 ERA) has struggled with his command, walking 12 and allowing 14 hits in his 13 innings.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Detroit - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Ricky Nolasco pitching for Los Angeles | DET | LAA |
| Kinsler walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Kinsler caught stealing second, catcher to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Castellanos flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Daniel Norris pitching for Detroit | DET | LAA |
| Escobar struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Trout singled to right center. | 0 | 0 |
| Pujols flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Trout caught stealing second, pitcher to first to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Ricky Nolasco pitching for Los Angeles | DET | LAA |
| V. Martínez singled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Upton flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| J.D. Martinez homered to left center (398 feet), V. Martínez scored. | 2 | 0 |
| Collins struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| McCann lined out to third. | 2 | 0 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Daniel Norris pitching for Detroit | DET | LAA |
| Marte reached on infield single to third. | 2 | 0 |
| Calhoun struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| Simmons grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher, Marte out at second. | 2 | 0 |
| Simmons stole second. | 2 | 0 |
| Maybin lined out to right. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Ricky Nolasco pitching for Los Angeles | DET | LAA |
| Iglesias grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 0 |
| Kinsler flied out to center. | 2 | 0 |
| Castellanos flied out to right. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Daniel Norris pitching for Detroit | DET | LAA |
| Espinosa flied out to center. | 2 | 0 |
| Maldonado singled to right. | 2 | 0 |
| Escobar struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| Trout walked, Maldonado to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Pujols grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Trout out at second. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Ricky Nolasco pitching for Los Angeles | DET | LAA |
| Cabrera flied out to center. | 2 | 0 |
| V. Martínez walked. | 2 | 0 |
| Upton walked, V. Martínez to second. | 2 | 0 |
| J.D. Martinez singled to left, V. Martínez to third, Upton to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Collins struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| McCann grounded out to first. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Daniel Norris pitching for Detroit | DET | LAA |
| Marte grounded out to third. | 2 | 0 |
| Calhoun lined out to center. | 2 | 0 |
| Simmons struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Ricky Nolasco pitching for Los Angeles | DET | LAA |
| Iglesias lined out to right. | 2 | 0 |
| Kinsler singled to left, Kinsler to second on error by left fielder Maybin. | 2 | 0 |
| Castellanos struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| Cabrera grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Daniel Norris pitching for Detroit | DET | LAA |
| Maybin grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 0 |
| Espinosa grounded out to third. | 2 | 0 |
| Maldonado singled to center. | 2 | 0 |
| Escobar reached on infield single to shortstop, Maldonado to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Trout hit by pitch, Maldonado to third, Escobar to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Pujols singled to left, Maldonado and Escobar scored, Trout to third. | 2 | 2 |
| Marte grounded out to third. | 2 | 2 |
| 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Ricky Nolasco pitching for Los Angeles | DET | LAA |
| Pennington at third base. | 2 | 2 |
| V. Martínez grounded out to second. | 2 | 2 |
| Upton homered to left (358 feet). | 3 | 2 |
| J.D. Martinez grounded out to catcher. | 3 | 2 |
| Collins walked. | 3 | 2 |
| McCann lined out to shortstop. | 3 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Daniel Norris pitching for Detroit | DET | LAA |
| Calhoun walked. | 3 | 2 |
| Simmons popped out to second. | 3 | 2 |
| Maybin lined out to right. | 3 | 2 |
| Espinosa doubled to left, Calhoun to third. | 3 | 2 |
| Greene relieved Norris. | 3 | 2 |
| Maldonado popped out to second. | 3 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Yusmeiro Petit pitching for Los Angeles | DET | LAA |
| Petit relieved Nolasco. | 3 | 2 |
| Iglesias struck out swinging. | 3 | 2 |
| Kinsler struck out looking. | 3 | 2 |
| Castellanos grounded out to second. | 3 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Shane Greene pitching for Detroit | DET | LAA |
| Pennington struck out looking. | 3 | 2 |
| Trout homered to left center (438 feet). | 3 | 3 |
| Pujols grounded out to shortstop. | 3 | 3 |
| Marte flied out to left. | 3 | 3 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Yusmeiro Petit pitching for Los Angeles | DET | LAA |
| Cabrera flied out to center. | 3 | 3 |
| V. Martínez struck out looking. | 3 | 3 |
| Upton lined out to left. | 3 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Alex Wilson pitching for Detroit | DET | LAA |
| A. Wilson relieved Greene. | 3 | 3 |
| Calhoun grounded out to first. | 3 | 3 |
| Simmons grounded out to third. | 3 | 3 |
| Maybin struck out swinging. | 3 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Bud Norris pitching for Los Angeles | DET | LAA |
| Norris relieved Petit. | 3 | 3 |
| J.D. Martinez homered to right (381 feet). | 4 | 3 |
| Collins struck out swinging. | 4 | 3 |
| McCann struck out looking. | 4 | 3 |
| Iglesias grounded out to third. | 4 | 3 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Los Angeles - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Justin Wilson pitching for Detroit | DET | LAA |
| J. Wilson relieved A. Wilson. | 4 | 3 |
| Espinosa struck out swinging. | 4 | 3 |
| Maldonado struck out looking. | 4 | 3 |
| Pennington struck out swinging. | 4 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Detroit Tigers
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsler 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | .222 | .344 | .352 |
| Castellanos 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | .234 | .306 | .411 |
| Cabrera 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .247 | .330 | .412 |
| V. Martínez DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | .270 | .336 | .344 |
| Upton LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | .266 | .385 | .541 |
| J.D. Martinez RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .571 | .571 | 1.429 |
| Collins CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16 | .226 | .294 | .323 |
| McCann C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .185 | .287 | .457 |
| Iglesias SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | .204 | .228 | .327 |
| Totals | 32 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 137 | |||
| BATTING HR: J.D. Martinez 2 (2, 2nd inning off Nolasco 1 on, 1 Out; 9th inning off Norris 0 on, 0 Out); Upton (8, 6th inning off Nolasco 0 on, 1 Out) RBI: J.D. Martinez 3 (3), Upton (20) Tigers RISP: 1-5 (Cabrera 0-1, McCann 0-1, J.D. Martinez 1-1, Castellanos 0-1, Collins 0-1) Team LOB: 5 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING CS: Kinsler (1, 2nd base by Nolasco/Maldonado) | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA |
| Attendance | 40,251 (88.5% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:14 |
| Weather | 72 degrees, clear |
| Wind | 8 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Mike Muchlinski, First Base - Marty Foster, Second Base - Mike Winters, Third Base - Mark Wegner |
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