Ex-Tiger Matt Joyce last night continued to feast on Detroit pitching to help Tampa Bay to a 6-to-3 victory at Comerica Park in the opener of a 3-game series. Joyce was in a 0-for-18 slump before he hit a solo homer in the third inning and an inning later knocked in another run with a sacrifice fly as the Rays snapped their 5-game losing streak.

Eight of Joyce’s 22 rbi’s this season have come against Detroit. David Price struck out nine over five innings of two run ball to become the American League's first 15-game winner.

The Tigers couldn’t break through against Price, even though they got his pitch count up to 115 by the time he left the game. He's now 15-and-5 on the year.

Meanwhile, Detroit starter Armando Galarraga allowed four runs over five frames to fall to 3-and-5. Detroit Manager Jim Leyland was disappointed that Galarraga and reliever Ryan Perry had control problems, giving Tampa Bay pitches they could drive. Brennan Boesch belted a solo homer for Detroit in the eighth to pull the Tigers to within a run at 4-to-3 but then Perry allowed a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to give the Rays some breathing room.

Detroit, which has lost 21 of its last 27 games, remains 9 games back of the Central Division leading White Sox, who lost 3-to-2 last night at Baltimore. The Cubs lost 4-to-3 in 11-innings at San Francisco.

And the Seattle Mariners have fired manager Don Wakamatsu and replaced him with Daren Brown on interim basis. Wakamatsu was in his second season with the Mariners, who are mired in last place in the American League West. Brown had been the manager of Seattle's Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma for the past four seasons.