DETROIT (Interstat) — Cristopher Sánchez pitched seven strong innings and Philadelphia beat Detroit 4-2 Saturday at Comerica Park. Sánchez allowed two earned runs and 10 hits while striking out seven, improving to 11-4. He rebounded from a rough start a week ago when he gave up nine runs in 3 1/3 innings. Jhoan Duran earned his 24th save with a scoreless ninth. Philadelphia scored first in the third on Trea Turner’s sacrifice fly, scoring Derek Hill. The Phillies added three runs in the fourth, highlighted by J.T. Realmuto’s two-run double and Hill’s RBI single. Detroit answered in the fifth on Eduardo Valencia’s solo home run. The Tigers scored another run in the eighth on a double play grounder by Spencer Torkelson that scored Matt Vierling, but they got no closer. Casey Mize took the loss, falling to 4-6 after allowing three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings. The Phillies had seven hits and the Tigers 10. Philadelphia improved to 53-43; Detroit fell to 44-51. Attendance was 33,705, with the game lasting 2 hours, 26 minutes.

DETROIT (Interstat) — Cristopher Sánchez pitched seven strong innings and J.T. Realmuto drove in two runs with a double as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-2 on Saturday at Comerica Park. Sánchez allowed two runs on 10 hits while striking out seven. The left-hander improved to 11-4 on the season. He retired the side in order twice and induced two double plays to escape threats. The outing marked a sharp turnaround from his previous start July 6 at Kansas City, when he lasted only 3 1/3 innings and surrendered nine earned runs in a 15-1 loss. Jhoan Duran recorded the final three outs for his 24th save of the season. Duran struck out one and did not allow a baserunner. The Phillies grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third inning without a hit. Derek Hill reached on a throwing error by third baseman Kevin McGonigle, moved to second on the error and scored on Trea Turner’s sacrifice fly to center field. Philadelphia broke the game open in the fourth inning against Tigers starter Casey Mize. Brandon Marsh walked to lead off and Alec Bohm struck out. Bryson Stott singled to put runners at first and second. Realmuto followed with a sharp double to left field that scored both Marsh and Stott, giving the Phillies a 3-0 lead. After Gabriel Rincones Jr. grounded out, moving Realmuto to third, Hill singled to left to drive in Realmuto for a 4-0 advantage. The Tigers got on the board in the fifth inning. Eduardo Valencia led off with a home run to right-center field, his second of the season, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Detroit threatened again later in the fifth. Hao-Yu Lee singled and Matt Vierling singled, putting runners at first and third with two outs, but Kevin McGonigle flied out to center to end the inning. Sánchez worked through the sixth and seventh innings with the help of double plays. In the sixth, Dillon Dingler singled leading off but Spencer Torkelson grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Riley Greene then struck out on a foul tip to end the inning. In the seventh, Valencia singled and Hao-Yu Lee singled to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Ben Malgeri struck out. Zach McKinstry then grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, erasing the threat. The Tigers again pulled within two runs in the eighth inning. Matt Vierling drew a leadoff walk from reliever Jonathan Bowlan. Kevin McGonigle singled and Dingler was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Spencer Torkelson grounded into a double play, scoring Vierling from third and cutting the lead to 4-2. Riley Greene walked but Valencia grounded out to end the inning. Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth for Detroit, but the Tigers were unable to mount a rally against Duran. Colt Keith grounded out, Kerry Carpenter popped out foul and McKinstry popped out to shortstop to end the game. Attendance was 33,705. The game lasted 2 hours, 26 minutes. Mize (4-6) took the loss for Detroit, allowing three earned runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked one. Tyler Holton followed Mize with one scoreless inning. Drew Anderson pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts. Jansen allowed one hit while striking out one. For Detroit, Valencia went 2 for 4 with a home run and an RBI. For Philadelphia, Hill went 1 for 3 with an RBI. Realmuto was 1 for 4 with two RBIs. Bryce Harper went 2 for 4 with a double. The Phillies improved to 53-43. The Tigers fell to 44-51. Philadelphia entered the game having lost the series opener 10-2 on Friday. The Phillies had won three of their previous five games and five of their previous 10. Detroit had won four of its previous five games entering Saturday. The most critical sequence of the game occurred in the top of the fourth inning. With the score 1-0 and one out, Stott singled and Realmuto doubled to the left-field gap to score two runs, doubling the lead. Hill’s subsequent single made it a four-run cushion, which proved decisive when Detroit mounted two separate scoring threats in the middle and late innings. Sánchez’s ability to induce double plays in the sixth and seventh innings kept the Tigers from closing the gap further, preserving the lead for Duran to close. The victory was Philadelphia’s second consecutive win after a 15-1 loss to Kansas City on Monday. The Phillies have a chance to win the series in the rubber match Sunday. Detroit entered the game with momentum from a 10-2 win Friday and three straight series wins before this matchup. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Detroit 7, Philadelphia 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave Philadelphia a 52.30 percent probability to win. Philadelphia was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of six runs went over the over-under line of seven.

AP Preview: Phillies at Tigers DETROIT (Interstat) — The Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers meet Saturday at Comerica Park in the second game of a three-game series. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. EDT. The forecast calls for 82 degrees and rain. Philadelphia (52-42) is coming off a 3-2 loss to Detroit on Friday, a game that snapped the Phillies’ two-game winning streak. The Phillies have won six of their last 10 games but entered the series having lost five of their previous six on the road. Detroit (43-50) has won three straight following a four-game losing streak. The Tigers took the series opener behind a strong start from Framber Valdez, who allowed one run over seven innings. Pitching Matchup Left-hander Jesús Luzardo (10-4, 2.68 ERA) will start for Philadelphia. Luzardo has been dominant, winning his last five decisions. He threw seven shutout innings Thursday at Cincinnati, striking out 11 and allowing two hits in a 1-0 win. Over his last five starts, he has 48 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. Left-hander Framber Valdez (8-6, 3.47 ERA) will start for Detroit. Valdez earned the win Friday against Oakland, allowing one run on three hits with nine strikeouts over seven innings. He has been inconsistent, however, surrendering five runs in five innings July 2 at Texas and four runs in six innings June 27 against Houston. Players to Watch Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas is 6-for-15 with three RBIs during a four-game hitting streak. Shortstop Trea Turner is hitting .327 over his last 10 games. Tigers shortstop Zach McKinstry homered and drove in two runs Friday. Second baseman Colt Keith is 8-for-21 (.381) with two doubles during a five-game hitting streak. Notable The Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 Tigers win. Philadelphia is a -1.5 favorite, with an over/under of 7. The series concludes Sunday with Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (8-5, 3.12) opposing Tigers right-hander Reese Olson (5-6, 4.01).