DETROIT -- Max Scherzer could have probably pitched one more inning after breezing through the first eight. Detroits powerful offence made that unnecessary. Scherzer allowed two hits and struck out seven, and the Tigers backed their star right-hander with three early homers in an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night. With a big lead and Scherzers pitch count in triple digits, manager Brad Ausmus decided to go to the bullpen for the ninth inning, instead of sending his starter back to the mound for three more outs. "I had it in me to be able to do it, and I had an extra day (of rest) coming up this next time," Scherzer said. "But given the context of the game, it wasnt the right decision for me to go back out there. Its an 8-1 game. Ive got my work in." Scherzer retired 23 of the last 24 hitters he faced, and Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez and Torii Hunter all homered as part of a five-run first inning for the AL Central-leading Tigers, who have won 12 of 14. Tampa Bays five-game winning streak came to an end. Detroit leads second-place Kansas City by five games. Scherzer (10-3) allowed a first-inning sacrifice fly by Evan Longoria, but that was the first of 10 straight hitters retired by the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. After allowing a single in the fourth, Scherzer retired another 13 in a row before he was pulled with a pitch count of 106. There would be no talking the manager into another inning. Ausmus met Scherzer in the dugout and shook his hand. "He was done. I was just confirming to him that he was done," Ausmus said. "It didnt really matter what he said. That was going to be the end for him. There was no reason to send him back out at that point." Erik Bedard (4-6) allowed six runs and eight hits with two walks in two innings. Miguel Cabrera had two doubles, a single, a walk and four runs for Detroit. The Rays are still at the bottom of the AL East, and the improved starting pitching that fueled their recent run was nowhere to be seen Thursday. After a leadoff single by Austin Jackson in the first, Kinsler homered to put the Tigers ahead. Cabreras walk was followed by Martinezs 21st home run. Hunter added a solo shot with one out to make it 5-1. It was Martinezs first game back after he missed three with soreness in his side. Cabrera doubled in the second and scored on J.D. Martinezs single. He also scored on a single by Hunter in the fourth. Scherzer, coming off a 13-strikeout performance against Houston in his previous start, fanned seven with a walk, and the Detroit defence played well behind him. Nick Castellanos made a diving catch in the third when Desmond Jennings hit a line drive to the third basemans left. Then Detroit shortstop Eugenio Suarez jumped high in the air to snag a liner by Ben Zobrist. The first seven spots of Tampa Bays batting order, listed by position, went CF-SS-LF-3B-1B-DH-RF -- or 8-6-7-5-3-0-9. Rays manager Joe Maddon called it a "Tommy Tutone lineup" before the game, in reference to that bands early-80s hit "867-5309/Jenny." Maddon may have scored points with pop music fans of a certain age, but he couldnt have enjoyed watching his hitters scuffle against Scherzer. James Loneys single in the fourth was the only baserunner the Rays managed after the first inning. "We had some good at-bats," Maddon said. "I thought we played well today, but we just got ourselves in a hole, and that let him be more aggressive." Scherzer has only one complete game in his career -- a shutout of the Chicago White Sox less than a month ago. NOTES: The Tigers sent substitute Don Kelly to the on-deck circle in the fourth instead of Castellanos. Ausmus said Castellanos was in the bathroom, and Detroit wanted someone in the on-deck circle if there was a play at the plate -- to signal to the runner whether to slide. ... Scherzer has reached 10 wins every year since the Tigers traded for him before the 2010 season. ... Detroit LHP Drew Smyly (4-7) faces Tampa Bay RHP Alex Cobb (3-6) on Friday night. Custom San Diego Padres Jerseys . Its the second time this season that Milan has been sanctioned by the league judge, after fans also subjected Napoli supporters to discriminatory chants. The ban will come into effect for Milans next match, against Udinese on Oct. San Diego Padres Gear . -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/. - The Seattle Sounders busy off-season continues with the team acquiring defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money. Padres Jerseys 2020 . -- A lawyer for the fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez asked a judge Friday to throw out perjury charges, saying Shayanna Jenkins did not wilfully lie as she was bombarded with 1,630 questions over two days before a grand jury. Padres Jerseys 2019 . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer.Uniondale, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Martin Brodeur picked up his 689th career win and his first as a member of a team other than the New Jersey Devils. Subbing for an ineffective Jake Allen, Brodeur came up with 14 saves on 15 shots through the games final two periods as the St. Louis Blues rallied from three goals down to claim a 6-4 victory over the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. T.J. Oshie began a three-goal final stanza with a power-play marker, while Paul Stastny and Vladimir Tarasenko added late scores for the Blues, who had lost back-to-back divisional road games. Allen gave up three goals on 12 shots in the first period. Frans Nielsen, Ryan Strome, Michael Grabner and John Tavares supplied offense for the Islanders, who had won their previous three contests. Jaroslav Halak was on the hook for all six goals on 40 shots in defeat. Oshie tipped in a Kevin Shattenkirk shot less than five minutes into the third and forged a 4-4 deadlock only 11 seconds after Strome was sent off for hooking. Stastnys second goal of the contest -- a one-timer from the right side off a dish from Joakim Lindstrom -- came with 6:34 left in regulation and gave the Blues their first lead of the game at 5-4. Tarasenkos score with 2:28 to play sealed the outcome for the visitors. The slick Russian tallied in an identical fashion to Stastny, except had a half- open net at which to shoot after Jori Lehtera slipped a pass through from the left wing. Nielsens power-play marker before the eight-minute mark of the opening period got the hosts on the board. Allen preserved the margin inside of four minutes rremaining when he snagged a Mikhail Grabovski try at the left post out of the air before it crossed the goal line, but faltered in the latter stages.dddddddddddd It was 2-0 when Strome ripped a shot from the point off a turnover with 1:59 left before intermission and Grabner added his first of the year on a rebound 1:38 later to send the Isles to the locker room ahead 3-0. Stastny put the Blues on the board with 2:36 elapsed in the second at the tail end of a power play and the visitors drew within one just under two minutes later on a bouncing redirection from Patrik Berglund. Shattenkirks blast from the right point late in another St. Louis advantage evened the score with 7:26 left in the period, but a Tavares floater eluded Brodeur with 53.4 on the clock and the Isles went up 4-3 after 40 minutes. Game Notes Brodeurs appearance was just his 16th career relief stint and first since Jan. 8, 2011 for the Devils. He picked up his first victory since going the distance for New Jersey on April 13 against Boston in a 3-2 decision ... The Islanders had won seven in a row at home since an Oct. 28 loss to Winnipeg ... The Blues scratched forward Alex Steen due to a lower-body injury ... St. Louis defenseman Barret Jackman participated in his 750th career game ... Lindstrom recorded three assists, while Shattenkirk added two helpers to his goal ... Kyle Okposo and Nick Leddy each had a pair of assists for New York ... The Blues converted 3-of-5 chances on the power play, and the Islanders tallied twice in five chances with the extra man. ' ' '