Tigers rally to beat A's 8-3

Share this: Email | Facebook | X

DETROIT (AP) - Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen each hit a two-run homer in Detroit's six-run fifth inning, and the Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics 8-3 on Tuesday night.

The Tigers trailed 3-1 before they grabbed control in the fifth against Guillermo Moscoso (3-5).

After Magglio Ordonez brought Detroit to within a run with a sacrifice fly, Cabrera hit his 20th homer of the season, putting the Tigers ahead to stay. It was his 600th career extra-base hit.

Detroit's Rick Porcello (9-6) allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings.

Moscoso (3-5) allowed six earned runs in 4 2-3 innings.

Detroit's Victor Martinez scored the first run of the game on a wacky play at home, sidestepping Kurt Suzuki's tag and then reaching back with his arm to touch the plate.

Moscoso hadn't allowed more than four earned runs in a game all season, but the middle of Detroit's batting order was more than he could handle in the fifth. Cabrera's homer went an estimated 422 feet over the left-field fence. Martinez followed with a double, and Jhonny Peralta's RBI single made it 5-3.

Guillen then hit his first home run since Aug. 14 - shortly before his 2010 season ended because of a left knee injury. Guillen didn't return to the lineup until Saturday. He reached base four times Tuesday.

Brennan Boesch hit his second double of the game in the sixth, driving in another run to make it 8-3.

The Tigers might have figured this was their night after Martinez showed impressive agility to score in the fourth inning. He was on first with two out when Guillen hit a hard grounder that handcuffed first baseman Conor Jackson for an error. The ball bounced over into foul territory down the right-field line, and Martinez tried to come all the way around.

David DeJesus' throw was in plenty of time but a bit wide of the plate on the first-base side. Suzuki caught it and dove back to tag Martinez, but the runner wasn't there yet.

Rather than slide, Martinez sidestepped the plate entirely. When Suzuki, almost on all fours at the plate, reached out again to make the tag, Martinez reached back with his left arm and touched home.

Oakland manager Bob Melvin came out to argue the safe call to no avail. It was 1-0 Tigers.

Oakland answered back immediately with three runs in the fifth. Ryan Sweeney hit an RBI single, and Hideki Matsui hit a two-run single.

NOTES: Guillen's homer was upheld after a review. Replays showed the ball hit a fan above the wall in right-center. ... The Tigers agreed to terms with OF Tyler Collins, a sixth-round draft pick. ... Oakland 3B Scott Sizemore left in the fourth after being hit in the left jaw by a pitch. Sizemore was squaring to bunt when he was beaned. X-rays were negative, and he is day to day. ... Detroit CF Austin Jackson (sore left wrist) played for the first time since the All-Star break. He had two hits and scored twice. ... Boesch had three hits, as did Oakland's Cliff Pennington.