Keith, Flaherty lead Tigers to 5th straight win

Tigers pitcher Will Vest throws against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning on Tuesday in Detroit. (AP photo)
DETROIT — Colt Keith homered and drove in three runs as the Detroit Tigers won their fifth straight game, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Detroit has outscored its opponents 19-6 in the winning streak, which started with a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend.
Tigers starter Jack Flaherty allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight. Tommy Kahnle (1-1) picked up the win after replacing Flaherty and Will Vest pitched the ninth for his 15th save.
Jonathan Aranda homered in the first, then doubled and scored to give the Rays a 2-0 lead in the third.
Ryan Pepiot didn’t allow a hit until Spencer Torkelson’s 21st homer made it 2-1 in the fourth.
Colt Keith tied the game with a fifth-inning single. In the seventh, Zach McKinstry walked, stole his second base of the game, and scored when Keith hit his eighth homer off Edwin Uceta (5-2).
Key moment
After striking out Riley Greene to start the eighth, Rays reliever Eric Orze hit Dillon Dingler in the head with a 94.4 mph fastball. Orze raced to the plate to check on Dingler, but the pitch deflected off his cheek guard and did not cause an injury. Orze struck out the next two hitters to escape the jam.
McKinstry named All-Star
With the best record in the majors, the Tigers now have the most All-Stars, too.
McKinstry was picked Wednesday to replace Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who has been dealing with a rib injury. The infielder-outfielder will join Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders Javier Báez and Riley Greene — all AL starters — and staff ace Tarik Skubal, who also is among the candidates to start the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta.
The five All-Stars for Detroit is tied for the most with the World Series champion Dodgers.
Along with playing every infield position besides catcher, and both corner outfield spots, McKinstry entered Wednesday hitting .283 with seven homers and 27 RBIs. The 30-year-old needs just three more homers and nine RBIs to set career highs.
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