DETROIT — Max Scherzer pitched eight scoreless innings, and Magglio Ordonez homered for the first time this season to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 4-0 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night.
Ordonez has been in a horrendous slump to start the year, but he had two hits Wednesday, including a two-run homer in the third that gave the Tigers a four-run lead. Detroit has won its last two since a seven-game losing streak.
Scherzer (5-0) allowed four hits and two walks. He struck out nine.
Freddy Garcia (1-2) pitched seven-plus innings for the Yankees, allowing four runs on 10 hits. He walked two and struck out eight.
Scherzer allowed a leadoff single to Derek Jeter in the first, then retired 10 straight hitters, striking out four in a row at one point. Detroit opened the scoring with a run in the second when Victor Martinez, Ordonez and Jhonny Peralta hit consecutive singles.
Martinez was activated Wednesday from the disabled list after being out with a strained right groin.
Detroit scored three runs in the third on an RBI double by Miguel Cabrera and Ordonez’s towering home run to left field. Ordonez is still hitting only .188, but he has four hits in his last two games.
The home run was his second extra-base hit of the year.
Manager Jim Leyland shuffled the lineup with Martinez back, dropping Ordonez from third to sixth. Brennan Boesch hit third, followed by Cabrera and Martinez. Those four players in the middle of the order reached base twice apiece.
That was plenty of offense for Scherzer, who struck out every Yankees starter except Curtis Granderson. The right-hander breezed into the eighth inning before finally encountering trouble. After a walk to Brett Gardner and a single by Francisco Cervelli, he got Jeter to fly out to shallow right. The speedy Granderson then grounded into a double play.
Jeter left the game in the middle of the eighth, replaced at shortstop by Eduardo Nunez. The team didn’t immediately announce a reason for his departure.
Alberto Albuquerque pitched a hitless ninth inning.
Cervelli started at catcher for the Yankees and was involved in a strange play in the sixth when Alex Avila stole second. Garcia’s pitch was low, and Cervelli had a hard time getting a grip on the ball. When he finally released it, his throw to second was so low it whizzed inches behind Garcia as the pitcher was kneeling at the mound.
NOTES: Scherzer threw 109 pitches. … Before the game, a few Tigers showed off pink shoes they received from sponsors to wear on Mother’s Day this weekend. RHP Rick Porcello had a bright pink pair, with darker pink trim. “I can call my mom and tell her I love her on Mother’s Day,” Porcello said. “I don’t have to wear these shoes.” … Yankees RHP Carlos Silva allowed two runs and three hits over three innings in his first start for Class-A Tampa on Wednesday night. The right-hander was released by the Chicago Cubs during spring training and agreed to a minor league contract with New York on April 9.