Four is magic number for Hens' Perez

They say hitting is contagious. The Triple-A Mud Hens are proving the theory.

No. 9 Tigers prospect Hernan Perez matched a career high with four hits while setting a career high by scoring four times as Toledo routed Buffalo, 11-0. Ben Guez collected a career-high five RBIs in the romp.

Thursday's meeting marked the fourth time this season that the 23-year-old totaled four hits in a game and his 24th multi-hit game of the campaign.

"We're just coming to the field every day, trying to have fun," Guez told the Toledo Blade. "When we have fun and relax, we put good at-bats together. When one guy does it, and then another guy does it, suddenly you have 11 runs and 13 hits -- and 13 hits -- and we're having fun."

Perez put the Mud Hens on the board early, doubling and scoring on a single by Guez in the first inning. Up 2-0 in the third, Guez doubled Toledo's lead with a two-run homer, which also scored Perez.

"I was just looking for something good to hit," Guez told the newspaper. "I got one and drove it to left. It felt good to get on top early."

Toledo's offensive outburst culminated with two outs in the sixth when seven straight batters reached in a six-run frame. Again Perez crossed the plate on a hit by Guez.

"We hit some balls hard -- Perez hit some doubles hard and Guez had the two big hits early," manager Larry Parrish told the Blade. "To me, those were the important runs. We got off to an early lead, and it helped put together and unbelievable inning in the sixth."

Perez scored the game's final run on a double by Tyler Collins in the seventh.

Detroit's top prospect Robbie Ray threw 78 pitches over four frames in his first start since coming off the disabled list. The southpaw allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four. Mike Belfiore worked around a hit in one inning of relief and Chad Smith (3-2) struck out four in two frames to earn the victory.

"Belfiore got through the tough part of their lineup [in the fifth], and Smith threw the ball really well for two innings," the manager told the paper. "And then we had opened up a pretty good gap."

Sean Nolin (2-3) -- the Blue Jays' No. 10 prospect -- was tagged with four runs on five hits and four walks and struck out three over three frames.