Tigers 6, Mets 1: Miguel Cabrera slammed a three-run homer and Doug Fister pitched effectively into the seventh inning as visiting Detroit won the opener of the three-game interleague series.

Torii Hunter homered, doubled and drove in a pair of runs and Austin Jackson added a solo shot as the Tigers improved to 6-7 in their last 13 games. Detroit extended its lead to six games over Cleveland in the American League Central.

Fister (11-6) won for the first time in four starts, allowing one run and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. Drew Smyly retired the final two batters in the seventh to escape a two-on, one-out threat.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-1), signed by New York on Thursday, was rocked early in his first major-league appearance since Oct. 3, 2012. He gave up five runs on six hits in five innings but retired the final 10 batters following Cabrera's homer in the second inning.

Hunter put Detroit ahead to stay with an RBI ground-rule double in the second and Cabrera followed by launching his 41st homer down the left-field line, giving him 11 RBIs in his last six games and boosting his major league-leading total to 126. Marlon Byrd had two hits and an RBI single and Eric Young Jr. and Wilmer Flores added three hits apiece for New York.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Cabrera's blast was the 362nd of his career, moving him past Joe DiMaggio and into a tie with Todd Helton for 76th on the career list. He also extended his on-base streak to 26 games in a row. ... Byrd has hit safely in five straight games and 10 of 11, including seven multiple-hit contests. ... Tigers C Alex Avila, sidelined since Aug. 11 with concussion symptoms, left a rehab game at Triple-A Toledo on Thursday when he developed a headache and was held out of Friday's contest. He may serve as the DH for Toledo on Saturday.