By Dave Hogg The Associated Press

DETROIT — Robbie Grossman homered and drove in four runs as the Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 7-3, to split the four-game series.

The Tigers and their league-worst offense scored five or more points in consecutive games for the first time this season. Detroit had lost six straight before winning 14-7 on Saturday.

“Every time you hit it brings a lot of energy to the ball club,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “This is the standout brand of baseball that everyone has come to expect from us for a long time.”

Hinch had to watch most of the game from the clubhouse – he was ejected by plate umpire Jansen Visconti in the third inning after Grossman was called for strikes.

For the second day in a row, the Rangers homered in the first — this time it was Corey Seager — only to let Grossman homer on a late-inning three-run response.

“It really feels like a missed opportunity,” said Rangers manager Chris Woodward, whose side won the first two games by an aggregate of 10-1. “We had a ton of momentum after the first two games and we were playing against a team that we think we should be very competitive against.

“It was a series that we could have won and that really made a splash.”

Dane Dunning (1-5) walked Victor Reyes to start the inning, then hit Harold Castro before Grossman hit his second homer in 24 hours and second of the season.

“It feels really good,” said Grossman, who hits .213. “I made some adjustments and I’m finally doing things to help the team win. We played two good games and got two good wins.

Nathaniel Lowe’s RBI single made it 3-2 in the fourth, and Tigers bench coach George Lombard knocked out flyhalf Drew Hutchison after Marcus Semien’s two-out single in the fifth.

Alex Lange (4-1) walked Seager before Adolis Garcia tied it with a hit.

Detroit regained the lead late in the fifth. A single, a walk and a pair of forced outs at second base left the Tigers with two outs and two outs. Rookie Riley Greene drew a walk, loading the bases and knocking Dennis Santana out of the Rangers bullpen.

Detroit’s other fashionable hitting prospect, Spencer Torkelson, dropped a two-run single into a shallow cross to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

“It’s one of the breaks in baseball,” Woodward said. “Santana makes a great throw down and away, Torkelson just touches it and they get two runs.”

Torkelson scored on a defensive choice in the eighth to make it 6-3 and Grossman added an RBI single later in the inning.

Detroit’s bullpen took over at that point, allowing only one walk over the last four innings.

Dunning is now winless in his last 20 starts on the road, including 19 for Texas. It’s the longest streak in Rangers history.