DETROIT (Interstat) — Framber Valdez pitched six strong innings and Kevin McGonigle drove in two runs as the Detroit Tigers defeated the New York Yankees 5-3 on Monday night at Comerica Park, snapping a two-game losing streak in front of 24,284 fans.

The Tigers, now 34-44, took three of four in the series with the Yankees, who fell to 46-31. The game lasted 2 hours, 44 minutes.

Valdez (4-5) allowed one earned run on four hits and struck out eight over six innings. His command was sharp, particularly after a rocky second inning. The left-hander retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced. He picked up his first win since May 27 after losing his previous two starts, including a tough-luck outing at Houston on June 16 where he allowed no earned runs over six innings but took the loss.

Will Vest recorded his second save of the season, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He entered with one out in the eighth after the Yankees had pulled within two runs and closed the door, inducing a groundout and a popup before a 1-2-3 ninth.

Gerrit Cole (1-2) took the loss. The Yankees right-hander allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out six. Cole struggled in the third and fourth innings as the Tigers built their lead.

The Yankees struck first. With one out in the second inning, Jose Caballero drew a walk and Ali Sanchez followed with a ground-rule double down the left-field line, scoring Caballero for a 1-0 lead. The Yankees managed only two hits in the first three innings but seemed poised to add more.

Valdez settled down after that. He worked around a pair of singles in the third, striking out Jazz Chisholm Jr. to strand two runners. From there, the Tigers’ offense took over.

Detroit tied the game in the third. Zach McKinstry led off with a triple to center field and scored on a groundout by McGonigle. After a strikeout, Kerry Carpenter singled and Riley Greene walked. Spencer Torkelson then lined a single to center, scoring Carpenter to tie the score at 2. Colt Keith followed with another single to center, driving in Greene and giving Detroit a 3-1 lead.

The Tigers extended the lead in the fourth. Hao-Yu Lee singled to right and moved to second on a flyout. McGonigle then hit a double to left field, scoring Lee. Left fielder Jose Caballero’s throw to third got past the cutoff, allowing McGonigle to advance to third on the error. He was stranded there when Dillon Dingler popped out and Kerry Carpenter grounded out.

Detroit made it 5-1 in the fifth. Greene led off with a home run to right-center field, his ninth of the season. The Tigers later loaded the bases on a catcher’s interference call and a walk, but Cole escaped further damage with a flyout, a strikeout and a lineout.

The Yankees attempted a comeback in the seventh. After two quick outs, Ali Sanchez was hit by a pitch and Amed Rosario followed with a two-run home run to right-center field, his seventh of the season, cutting the deficit to 5-3. The rally stalled when Ben Rice flied out to left.

Detroit’s bullpen held the lead. Drew Sommers worked 1/3 of an inning in the eighth, allowing two hits but no runs. Drew Anderson allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings before Vest entered to get the final four outs. For the Yankees, Paul Blackburn tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and Ryan Yarbrough added two scoreless frames.

McGonigle finished 2 for 5 with two RBIs. Torkelson had two hits and an RBI. Greene walked twice and added a solo home run. Spencer Torkelson also reached on catcher’s interference in the fifth.

For the Yankees, Rosario was 1 for 5 with the two-run homer. Anthony Volpe and Paul Goldschmidt each had two hits. The Yankees recorded seven hits total, while the Tigers had nine.

The Yankees had lost four of their previous five games entering Monday, including a 4-1 defeat to Cincinnati on Sunday. Detroit had won three straight after dropping two in Houston.

The two teams will meet again Tuesday at Comerica Park in the opener of a two-game series. The Yankees then travel to Boston for a four-game set beginning Thursday. The Tigers will host Houston for four games starting Thursday, then travel to New York to face the Yankees on Monday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of New York Yankees 7, Detroit Tigers 4. Interstat’s ELO system had given the Yankees a 60.80 percent probability to win. New York was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of eight runs went under the over-under line of 7.5.