Cincinnati Reds LHP Wade Miley pitched five strong innings in the Reds' series-clinching win over the MLB-best Detroit Tigers Sunday.

The Cincinnati Reds believe they are starting to play to their potential. Following a successful road trip through Cleveland and Detroit, the Reds return home Tuesday to host the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series.

The Cincinnati Reds view this weekend as a measuring stick to see just how much they have improved. The Reds pushed their record above .500 with a five-game winning streak that was snapped Wednesday.

The Reds did tack on three too-little, too-late runs in the ninth when De La Cruz doubled home Santiago Espinal to make it 11-3, then Tyler Stephenson doubled in two more runs to make it 11-5. De La Cruz was 3-for-4, raising his average to .267.

"It's a good check to see where we're at. It's gonna show what areas we need to work on, what areas we excel at," Nick Martinez said.

Elly De La Cruz continued his hot streak at the plate on Sunday, hitting a home run for the fourth consecutive game.