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Call-ups help Tigers rout slumping Twins

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Michael Fulmer delivers to the Minnesota Twins in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 23, 2017, at Target Field in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Autey)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Detroit Tigers have devised quite a system for getting production out of their emergency call-ups: get them to the ballpark as late as possible before throwing them into the lineup.

“Sometimes that’s the best way to do it,” manager Brad Ausmus said. “Doesn’t give you time to think about anything.”

John Hicks had three hits, including his first career homer, and drove in five runs to lead Michael Fulmer and the Detroit Tigers to a 13-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

One day after the benches cleared when Tigers starter Matthew Boyd threw behind slugger Miguel Sano in retaliation for teammate JaCoby Jones being hit in the face, there was no sign of lingering hard feelings between the two teams.

Fulmer (2-1) allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings, striking out seven. Jim Adduci had three hits and two RBIs on the day he arrived from Triple-A Toledo and Alex Avila hit a two-run homer for the Tigers. Victor Martinez added three hits and two RBIs.

Hicks came up from Toledo on Saturday morning after Miguel Cabrera was put on the disabled list and has gone 5 for 10 with a double, a homer and six RBIs in two Tigers wins.

Adduci had not played in the big leagues since 2014 with Texas. He woke up at 4:15 on Sunday morning, had his connecting flight in Chicago delayed, and arrived at Target Field about 90 minutes before the first pitch to learn that he was in the lineup and hitting seventh.

“It took a lot of nerves away,” Adduci said.

“I was kind of tired, relaxed and it worked out great.”

Kyle Gibson (0-3) gave up seven runs — six earned — on eight hits in just 2 2/3 innings for the Twins, who went 2-7 on the home stand against AL Central opponents. Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario homered for the Twins, but Minnesota lost for the sixth time in seven games.

“It was not a good ending to not a very good home stand,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “Some of the games were good, but we had a couple of games that get your attention.”

Hicks hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning, prompting Molitor to go to backup catcher Chris Gimenez as his seventh relief pitcher. Gimenez got Andrew Romine to fly out to end the inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: Ausmus said he was optimistic that Cabrera (groin) would be ready to come off the disabled list when he is eligible on May 1. … Ausmus also said OF J.D. Martinez ran outside for the first time since spraining his right foot in spring training and is on track to return some time in May.

LUCKY JONES

Jones said he felt lucky a day after being hit in the face by a pitch that later sparked a benches-clearing tussle between the Tigers and Minnesota Twins.

Jones was taken to the hospital Saturday after getting a scare when a pitch from Twins reliever Justin Haley left him bloodied and a little dazed. He needed nine stitches in his lip, but said he was still able to have dinner that night. Jones said he would have a few more tests when the team returned to Detroit but experienced no signs of a concussion.

“It could’ve knocked out all my teeth or struck me square in the eye,” Jones said Sunday. “I am lucky it hit me in my big lip and just made it bigger. It’s all good.”

Jones was placed on the 10-day disabled list, as was Haley with tendinitis in his right biceps.

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