Riley Greene Powers Tigers to Victory Over Nationals in Doubleheader Opener

Riley Greene showcased his power at the plate, launching two three-run homers and driving in six runs, as the Detroit Tigers triumphed over the Washington Nationals 11-2 in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday.

Alongside Greene, Jake Rogers and Spencer Torkelson also contributed with home runs, while Zach McKinstry recorded four hits. This victory marked the Tigers' third consecutive win and their sixth in eight games, elevating their record to 54-32—22 games above .500 for the first time since 2013.

On the other side, Alex Call stood out for Washington with three hits. The Nationals have struggled significantly, failing to secure back-to-back wins since late May and losing nine of their last ten games at home.

Trevor Williams (3-10) faced a challenging outing, surrendering three-run homers to Greene on a full-count sweeper and to Rogers on a fastball, marking Rogers' first home run of the season. The crowd responded with sarcastic applause as Williams finally secured his third out on his 54th pitch, having allowed seven runs in just three innings.

Greene extended Detroit's lead in the fourth inning. Following a walk to Gleyber Torres and a single from Wenceel Pérez against Jackson Rutledge, Greene hit his 21st homer, pushing the score to 10-0.

This game marked Greene's seventh multi-homer performance, with four occurring this season alone and two in his last ten games.

Torkelson added to the scoring in the sixth inning with his 18th home run of the year.

Tyler Holton started strong for Detroit, striking out three batters in two scoreless innings. Rookie Dylan Smith (1-0) followed with an impressive performance, pitching 3 1/3 shutout innings to earn his first major league victory.

With this win, Detroit improved to a perfect 4-0 in doubleheader openers this season.