Hunter, Kinsler help power Tigers to victory

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Right fielder Torii Hunter and second baseman Ian Kinsler have heated up at the same time, and helped power the Detroit Tigers to a 14-3 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday.

Kinsler hit a pair of long homers to left field at Joker Marchant Stadium, and also added a run-scoring single in a four-RBI game. Afterward, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus talked about possibly batting Kinsler, the expected leadoff hitter, in the No. 5 spot where he hit in this game.

Hunter went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a walk. And for the second day in a row, he stole a base. That made him 6-for-7 with five RBIs and three runs in consecutive games. Hunter, who had been the No. 2 hitter last year, batted No. 3 against the Astros and could also factor into the No. 5 or 6 spot.

Detroit has used power and speed to score 26 runs in the last two games.

"We smile and have a lot of fun playing out there," said Hunter. "But, make no mistake about it, we are trying to destroy you. It's a vicious smile.

"You lose Prince Fielder and that's a big man. But we're still a good baseball club, and I think this team overall is better."

Fielder, a slugging first baseman who batted cleanup behind Miguel Cabrera, was traded to the Texas Rangers for Kinsler.

Ausmus says he's "95-percent" sure Victor Martinez will drop down from No. 5 to cleanup.

"We don't really have a true No. 5 hitter," Ausmus said. "I wonder if Ian can slot into the No. 5 hole for a couple weeks. He has the ability to drive the ball and drive in runs."

Ausmus is already tinkering with a lineup should shortstop Jose Iglesias (shins) not be able to play during the first two weeks of the season.

Kinsler said he isn't concerned with where he bats, and neither is Hunter. He said playing all the top five spots in the batting order has allowed him the experience to know what to do in any of them.

Kinsler hit 13 homers last year and had 19 in 2012. But he did hit 32 and 31 homers in recent seasons, with the hitter-friendly Ballpark in Arlington his home field. When a possible reduction in homers at pitcher-friendly Comerica Park in Detroit was mentioned, Kinsler said he did not care about that, while admitting that homers do "look cool."

"I will do whatever it takes to help the team win," Kinsler said. "This year is about scoring runs, and the more I score the happier I will be. Our goal is to win the World Series and score more runs than everybody else."

Both players wore dirt-stained uniforms that figure to be a more common sight as Kinsler and new left fielder Rajai Davis add a speed element the team has lacked through its recent run of success.

"I'm trying to show you I can still run a little bit," said Hunter, 39. "I'll run smart and play the game hard."

The veteran combo doesn't have anything to prove. They'd both be starting no matter what they hit in Florida. And neither of them had done much with the bat through the first two weeks of games. Kinsler was batting .208 and Hunter .217 before Friday's 12-6 win over the Washington Nationals.

Hunter went 4-4 against the Nationals with two runs and two RBIs. Kinsler went 2-for-4 while scoring twice. Now, Hunter is at .367 and Kinsler is batting .323.

"With two weeks left before the season," Hunter said, "you turn it up a notch because the mechanics and timing are coming back."

"I wasn't as sharp today and they hit some pitches," Scherzer said. "But it was a game I learned a lot from, getting battle-tested."

Scherzer also struck out six and walked nobody to continue his impressive showings in those two categories. Scherzer has struck out 16 with only one walk issued in 14 1/3 innings.

"The thing I'm most happy about is the curve," Scherzer said. "It was good again today. And in the spring, it's about minimizing walks at all costs. Those are the two things I'm happiest with at this point."

Scherzer, who threw 77 pitches, has a 2.51 ERA after four starts.