ATLANTA — Rookie Brennan Boesch homered and drove in three runs as the Detroit Tigers chased Tommy Hanson early and beat the Atlanta Braves 10-4 Sunday.
Boesch hit an RBI single during a five-run fourth inning that finished Hanson (7-5). Boesch added a two-run homer, his 12th of the season and eighth in June, the next inning.
Rookie Austin Jackson had three of Detroit’s 17 hits, including a two-run single in the big fourth.
Justin Verlander (9-5) gave up six hits and four runs in seven innings as the Tigers avoided being swept.
Hanson lasted only 3 2-3 innings for his second straight start. He gave up six runs on eight hits and two walks.
Detroit manager Jim Leyland was ejected in the fourth for arguing a close call at first base.
A day after umpire Gary Cederstrom acknowledged he mistakenly called strike three to end the Braves’ 4-3 win over the Tigers on Saturday night, Leyland took exception with a call by Fieldin Culbreth.
Verlander was called out on a double-play grounder to shortstop Yunel Escobar with the bases loaded. Escobar threw to catcher Brian McCann to force out Carlos Guillen. McCann’s throw to first arrived about the same time as Verlander.
As the crew chief, Cederstrom, stepped in between Leyland and Culbreth before walking with Leyland back to the dugout.
Detroit led 1-0 before Hanson recorded an out. Jackson led off with a single, moved to second on Hanson’s errant pickoff attempt, and scored on a single by Ramon Santiago.
The Tigers stretched the lead with five runs on five hits in the fourth. Don Kelly and Gerald Laird, who had three hits, hit run-scoring singles before Jackson’s two-run single.
Boesch hit his fifth-inning homer off Cristhian Martinez. Miguel Cabrera drove in a run with a single off Martinez in the sixth.
Troy Glaus drove in Atlanta’s first run with a fourth-inning double. Eric Hinske and McCann had back-to-back hits to drive in runs in the fifth.