Major League Baseball

Tigers 8, Astros 4

Published Mar. 27, 2011 11:32 p.m. ET

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An inside fastball that miffed Victor Martinez signaled one thing to Detroit manager Jim Leyland.

''The guys have had enough and they're ready to go,'' Leyland said.

The benches emptied Sunday after Martinez took exception to a close pitch from Houston's Jose Valdez in the sixth inning of the Tigers' 8-4 win.

Martinez stepped out of the batter's box and said something to Valdez. The Tigers star and everyone else calmed down before anything escalated.

''I think he tried to make me lose my mind or something because I didn't try to hit him,'' Valdez said. ''I know he didn't like the fastball in.''

Miguel Cabrera homered, doubled, singled and drove in four runs for the Tigers. His first two RBIs came on a two-out popup that could have been caught by second baseman Bill Hall or right fielder Hunter Pence. Instead, it dropped between them for a double.

''A little communication on both ends'' might have ended the inning, manager Brad Mills said after Houston lost for the eighth time in nine games.

''Hunter thought it was going to carry to him,'' Mills said. ''With the high sky and the wind blowing like it was, sometimes those things are tough. But you'd like to see it all taken care of.''

The Tigers scored another run in the ninth inning when a groundball slipped between two infielders who stopped in pursuit of it.

Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez didn't help his cause with 90 pitches in three innings in his final start of the spring. Rodriguez, who will pitch the Astros' second regular-season game at Philadelphia on Saturday, gave up five runs on six hits and four walks.

''I felt strong, but I missed a lot. You can see that. A lot of walks,'' said Rodriguez, who finished his spring 0-3 with an 8.04 ERA. ''I think that was my big problem today. I felt strong and I tried to throw too hard.''

Brad Penny, who will start the Tigers' second game of the regular season Saturday at Yankee Stadium, gave up two runs in six innings.

Carlos Lee hit a two-run home run for the Astros off Daniel Schlereth in the eighth.

NOTES: The Astros acquired INF Joe Inglett from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named or cash. They also pitcher Lance Pendleton, a Rule 5 pick, back to the New York Yankees. ... Mills informed P Ross Wolf and INF Oswaldo Navarro that they will not start the season on the big league roster, leaving the Astros with 36 healthy players, including 16 pitchers.