DETROIT – David Price threw 8 2/3 scoreless innings to lead the Tigers to a fourth straight Opening Day win over the Twins, 4-0, on Monday.
Price went for a complete game after dominating eight innings, but gave up two straight two-out singles in the ninth and was pulled for closer Joe Nathan.
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Nathan came in and retired former Tiger Torii Hunter on a check-swing strikeout for the final out, and his first save of the year.
J.D. Martinez and Alex Avila both hit opposite field home runs off of Phil Hughes in the bottom of the 2nd to kick off the scoring for Detroit. Martinez's blast cleared the out of town scoreboard in right center field, while Avila's soared into the left field stands. New Tiger Yoenis Cespedes pitched in a double in his first at-bat, scoring on Avila's homer.
Cespedes also made an incredible defensive play, robbing Kurt Suzuki of a home run in the 3rd inning with a leaping grab at the wall. He finished the game with two hits, a triple and a double, scoring two runs.
Jose Iglesias, who missed all of the 2014 season, returned with two ground ball singles up the middle and two stolen bases. On the first stolen base, Iglesias got such a good jump off of Hughes that Suzuki didn't bother to throw. On the second attempt, the throw bounced in far too late.
Miguel Cabrera finished the game 0-4 at the plate. Victor Martinez, meanwhile, went 1-4 with a groundball single up the middle in the 8th inning.
Hughes settled down after Detroit scored three in the 2nd, and kept the game scoreless in until the sixth, when a Nick Castellanos line drive was caught and scored Cespedes.
Detroit takes a 1-0 lead in the season series with Minnesota after the last-place Twins won 10 of 19 meetings in the 2014 campaign.
The Tigers and Twins will be off on Tuesday, with the middle game of the series on Wednesday afternoon. Detroit will send out Anibal Sanchez and Minnesota will counter with Ricky Nolasco.
Shane Greene will make his Tigers debut in the series finale Thursday.