DETROIT (AP) - Miguel Cabrera hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his career, but it was not enough to beat the Oakland Athletics.
Ben Sheets worked seven innings in his longest start of the season and Landon Powell homered and drove in two runs in Oakland's 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
Sheets, in his first season with Oakland after sitting out last season while recovering from elbow surgery, gave up three runs in his longest outing since tossing a five-hit shutout for Milwaukee against San Diego in 2008.
The right-hander and former All-Star signed a $10 million, one-year deal in January with Oakland.
Brad Ziegler (2-2) gave up a hit in the eighth inning. Andrew Bailey shut down Detroit after giving up a leadoff homer to Cabrera for his 10th save in 12 chances.
Reliever Ryan Perry (1-4) gave up two runs and got just two outs, losing in a second straight game.
Perry blew a 4-1 lead in Wednesday's loss at Seattle by giving up four runs and getting only one out. He was booed by some in the sellout crowd when he entered the game and the fans groaned when he was taken out.
Cabrera, who hit two homers 15 times, was playing for the first time since the birth of his second daughter on Tuesday. He had homers in his first two at-bats, and his third - and 13th of the season - pulled Detroit within a run.
Gabe Gross had a go-ahead single and Powell hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth for a two-run cushion Oakland needed to win for the sixth time in seven games.
Detroit's Dontrelle Willis gave up three runs on nine hits and four walks over 5 1-3 innings. Armando Galarraga stranded two runners he inherited and pitched 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief. Phil Coke gave up two hits and got two outs in the eighth and was replaced by Perry, who stranded two in scoring position by getting Kurt Suzuki to fly out.
Willis overcame a rough start, getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the first by getting Jake Fox to hit into an inning-ending double play. He stranded two in the fifth by striking out Gross.
NOTES: Tigers manager Jim Leyland says Carlos Guillen is his everyday second baseman, a position he hadn't played since 1999, when he was reinstated from the disabled list on Friday. Detroit optioned infielder Danny Worth to Triple-A Toledo to make room on the roster. ... Willis, who is from Oakland, had not allowed a run in two previous starts against the A's. ... Oakland has been over .500 for 37 days this year after having a winning record for only one day last season. ... The Detroit Tigers Foundation will present almost $250,000 to 18 organizations, from Berkley's Dad's Club to Detroit's Youth Development Commission, before Sunday's game.