DETROIT -- Matt Boyd claimed that he didn't know he had a no-hitter going. His catcher wasn't buying it.

The Detroit Tigers left-hander did not give up a hit to the Minnesota Twins until the sixth inning, when Robbie Grossman lined a two-out single. His performance led the Tigers to a 2-1 victory on Tuesday at Comerica Park.

"I really wasn't aware of it," Boyd said. "I really don't think about the hits at all. You're really in attack mode."

Catcher James McCann, who guided Boyd through six masterful innings, laughed off Boyd's statement.

"Maybe he didn't but c'mon, anyone in the stadium knew there wasn't a hit on the hit column yet," McCann said.

McCann provided all of Detroit's offense, blasting a two-run homer. His pitch-calling was just as crucial.

"He threw the ball well but it wasn't his 'A' stuff," McCann said. "He didn't have his best slider that he had all spring. What he did today, six innings, one hit, with effectively a fastball, changeup and mixing in a couple of curveballs, it's pretty encouraging. Wait until he finds his slider."

A quartet of relievers followed, with Francisco Rodriguez recording his third save for Detroit (5-2) despite allowing a ninth-inning run.

McCann hit his third home run in the fifth off losing pitcher Hector Santiago (1-1). The Twins starter allowed just three hits in 6 1/3 innings. Jason Castro drove in the lone Minnesota run with a single.

"He was aggressive," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of his starter. "His strike throwing was positive. He didn't back down from anybody and got some outs on changeups, too. He has to get that breaking ball a little bit sharper but you can't fault anyone when a guy goes that long into the game and only gives up two runs."

Boyd (1-1) confounded the Twins (5-2) with a variety of breaking pitches. He recorded a majority of his six strikeouts with the changeup.

"Even though I may not have had the best slider, (McCann) called a great game in terms of working with what we did have," Boyd said. "He set it up perfectly."

It was a stark contrast to his season debut against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, when he lasted just 2 1/3 innings and gave up five runs on five hits and four walks.

"We just didn't have a lot of opportunities," Molitor said. "He shut us down pretty well. We didn't adjust particularly well. He got a lot of outs on offspeed between his changeup and his breaking ball. We just didn't have a lot of good swings."

The only baserunners he allowed before Grossman's single were one-out walks -- Grossman in the first and Chris Gimenez in the fifth.

McCann broke the scoreless deadlock in the fifth when he jumped on a Santiago fastball and lined it over the left-field wall. The one-out shot also brought home Justin Upton, who was hit by a pitch.

"Just looking for a pitch I could handle and put a good swing on it," McCann said. "Thankfully, it left the yard."

Detroit reliever Shane Greene allowed two baserunners among the three batters he faced in the seventh. Manager Brad Ausmus then brought in left-hander Kyle Ryan, who induced Eddie Rosario to hit into a double play.

Rodriguez gave up a one-out double to Miguel Sano prior to Castro's RBI single. Pinch hitter Joe Mauer followed with a bloop single. Rosario then flied out and pinch-hitter Max Kepler popped out.

NOTES: Tigers RF J.D. Martinez took swings in the batting cage on Monday as he works his way back from a mid-foot sprain. Martinez, who was injured during spring training, is not expected to return until next month. The team has yet to decide on what type of rehab stint he'll have. "He really has been progressing extremely well," manager Brad Ausmus said. "He's probably slightly ahead of schedule." ... Tigers RHP Michael Fulmer, who won the American League Rookie of the Year award last season, will oppose Twins RHP Kyle Gibson in the second game of the three-game series. Both received no-decisions in their season debuts. ... Detroit had a 15-4 record against Minnesota last season. ... The Tigers have homered in the first seven games of the season for just the second time since 1913. The other instance was 2014. ... Minnesota CF Byron Buxton is now 2-for-29 this season with 17 strikeouts. He struck out three times on Tuesday.