Mud Hens' Moya hitting homers in bunches

Steven Moya knows he'll only miss the opportunities he doesn't take. So when he spots pitchers' mistakes, he does his best to make them pay.

"I just focus on hitting strikes, knowing what the pitcher is trying to do and react to that," the Tigers' No. 10 prospect said. "And don't miss the fastballs, don't miss the bad pitches and just put a good swing on them."

Moya put in a few good swings Tuesday as he hit two home runs for the third time this season to help Triple-A Toledo rout Gwinnett, 12-5, at Coolray Field. He finished 4-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored.

"I felt great at the plate," Moya said. "I felt comfortable with my swing."

The 24-year-old outfielder finished a triple shy of the cycle as he sprayed the ball all over the field.

After going opposite field with a double to left in the second inning against No. 12 Braves prospect Lucas Sims, the lefty slugger showed off his power in the next frame as he sent a 1-0 offering from the right-hander over the wall in right-center.

Following an RBI single up the middle in the fifth, Moya blasted his seventh homer of the season to right on the first pitch in the sixth off Brandon Cunniff.

"I wasn't looking for the home run," the native of Puerto Rico said. "I was just looking for something in the strike zone. Against a really good pitcher, I was just looking for something close to the zone and get good contact on it."

Moya has made plenty of good contact within the last 48 hours. After a three-hit game, his four base knocks Tuesday pushed his average over .300 again to .313. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound outfielder also hasn't struck out in four consecutive games after fanning 20 times in his first 19.

"I'm just trying not to chase pitchers' pitches," he said. "Don't miss the fastball or any pitch they throw for strikes."

Moya may have not expected to face Triple-A competition again after two late-season stints with Detroit in 2014 and 2015, but despite not making the team out of Spring Training this year, he's keeping a positive attitude and confident that he isn't far away.

"I wasn't disappointed or mad or nothing," he said. "I know I'll be there soon. I just have to keep playing and do my job wherever they send me. That's what I'm focusing on right now, just focusing on baseball and forgetting about promotions or big leagues, just playing baseball."

Chad Huffman and Nate Schierholtz also homered for Toledo. Schierholtz and Casey McGehee contributed three hits apiece.

Mud Hens starter Warwick Saupold (2-1) allowed five runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings to pick up the win. Ruben Alaniz, Drake Britton, Jeff Ferrell and Bruce Rondon combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.