Major League Baseball

Braun, Lind, Ramirez hit consecutive HRs to lead Brewers

Published May. 19, 2015 10:00 p.m. ET

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DETROIT (AP) The Milwaukee Brewers used some power and dominant pitching to run over the Detroit Tigers.

Ryan Braun, Adam Lind and Aramis Ramirez hit consecutive home runs in a six run-third inning, Jimmy Nelson pitched eight strong innings, and the Brewers beat the Tigers 8-1 Tuesday night.

Braun drove in four runs and Carlos Gomez had three hits and two RBIs for Milwaukee, which has won the first two games of the three-game series.

Nelson (2-4) gave up a run and three hits, walked four and struck out five. He retired 11 straight batters from the fifth inning until there were two out in the eighth, when Miguel Cabrera grounded a single to right.

''It was good. Especially the last half of the game. Early, I really struggled with the command of my four seam fastball and curve. I started throwing my two-seam fastball,'' Nelson said. ''As the game went on, I started to settle in and command my pitches and that made the difference.''

Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez (3-5) gave up seven runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings, including the three consecutive homers.

''I think when he got out of the stretch the ball started creeping up in the zone. He just had trouble getting it down and they took advantage of it,'' Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said.

Sanchez has allowed nine home runs in 54 2/3 innings this season after surrendering only four in 126 innings in 2014.

''It's been clearly something that is uncharacteristic for Sanchie. Long ball wasn't an issue last year, but this year it's been a little bit of a different story now,'' Ausmus said. ''We've also seen some outstanding starts by Sanchie, but when he doesn't have his command down in the zone, his off-speed pitches especially, that's when they hit him. ''

Milwaukee took a 6-1 lead in the third.

After Gomez knocked in the inning's first run with a two-out bunt single, Braun hit a three-run homer and Lind and Ramirez followed with solo shots. It was Braun's ninth home run, Lind's seventh and Ramirez's fifth.

''I liked that. Yeah, that's fun to see,'' Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. ''Just a classic (Braun) swing, the ball just backspinning to the opposite field and good swings by (Lind) and (Ramirez).''

Gomez's two-out, run-scoring double in the fourth made it 7-1 and sent Sanchez to the showers.

Braun also doubled in a run in the ninth.

Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first on J.D. Martinez's two-out RBI single. It scored Kinsler, who walked, stole second and continued to third on catcher Martin Maldonado's throwing error.

AUSMUS GETS HEAVE HO

Ausmus was ejected from the game with two out in the bottom of the fifth by home plate umpire Tripp Gibson after Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler had been called out on strikes.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Tigers: DH Victor Martinez was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He was struggling in his return from offseason knee surgery. ''We had a plan back in April. It hasn't worked out,'' Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. ''He had a cortisone shot last Thursday and we gave him three days off. He played yesterday. At this point we felt other steps were necessary. It wasn't working. There's a weakness created by the surgery. It's created an issue in another part of the knee.'' Martinez, 36, is hitting .216 with only one home run in 2015. The switch-hitter is 12 for 26 against left-handers and 12 for 85 against righties.

UP NEXT

Brewers: RHP Kyle Lohse (3-4, 5.85) is 7-6 with a 5.66 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) against Detroit in his career. He hasn't faced the Tigers since June 21, 2012, when he was with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Tigers: RHP Shane Greene (4-2, 4.21) will try to help Detroit avoid a sweep in the series finale.