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 All the Detroit Tigers manager could verify Tuesday was that his
club came from four runs down to a complete a massive 8-6 win over
the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
That Detroit required 11 innings to do so and had to rally twice was
irrelevant. For the second time in 11 games, the Tigers posted a
victory after falling four runs down.
"We definitely needed a win," Ausmus said after Detroit (67-56)
remained tied with the Seattle Mariners for the second American
League wild card. "We need to win every day. To come back, take the
lead, take it twice, it's nice."
Even nicer was that one of Detroit's missing offensive contributors
was key in two scoring innings, including in the decisive 11th.
Second baseman Ian Kinsler began the 11th with a triple off the
glove of diving right fielder Kevin Kiermaier. Reliever Grant
Balfour then walked Torii Hunter and then Miguel Cabrera
intentionally to load the bases.
The right-hander forced in a run with a walk to designated hitter
Victor Martinez, giving Detroit a 6-5 lead and forcing manager Joe
Maddon to insert Jeff Beliveau. The left-hander's one-out wild pitch
improved the lead to 7-5, and catcher Bryan Holaday's sacrifice fly
added the Tigers' final run.
"I wouldn't have dove if I wasn't 100 percent," Kiermaier said. "I'm
still trying to figure out how I missed it. I had a good read on it
and I dove and I thought for sure I had it. Once a runner's on third
with no outs, it's really hard to pitch because the odds are in
their favor. I put the loss on my shoulders."
Kinsler, the leadoff hitter who is batting just .221 since the
All-Star break, finished 2-for-5 with a triple, two runs and an RBI.
Balfour (1-5) allowed three runs on three walks and a hit without
recording an out.
"That's the story of my season," Balfour said. "I see guys go out
and make the same pitch and a play gets made, and I feel like it's
frustration for me because time in and time out that play hasn't
been made (for me). It's been tough. You don't expect a guy to make
that play. Definitely aggressive, a great dive at it.
"Obviously, (if) he comes up with it, I'm sitting one out, nobody
on, or stay back and it's a runner on first. You can pitch a little
more when I have a runner on first, as opposed to a runner on
third."
Jim Johnson (5-2) threw a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win in
his second outing for the Tigers. Closer Joe Nathan recorded his
26th save despite allowing a run in the bottom of the 11th on two
singles and a walk, all with two outs.
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Tampa Bay (61-64) lost its third consecutive game.
Left fielder J.D. Martinez's 17th homer of the season in the eighth off
right-hander Joel Peralta gave Detroit its first lead at 5-4, and
capping a comeback from an early four-run deficit.
Tampa Bay tied the game, 5-5, in the bottom of the eighth on the first
big-league RBI by rookie designated hitter Vince Belnome. Tigers
reliever Joba Chamberlain was roughed up for two hits and a walk in the
inning, but he escaped a bases-loaded situation to avoid further damage.
"We can't look ahead. We can't worry about what everybody else is
doing," Chamberlain said. "We've got to focus on what we do."
Separate video reviews cost the Rays, one erasing a Tampa Bay homer,
another correcting an out call that cost Cabrera a two-out RBI.
Tigers right-hander Max Scherzer allowed four runs -- three on a
first-inning homer by James Loney -- on four hits and three walks with
four strikeouts in seven innings. Chamberlain cost him his chance to
beat the Rays for a fifth straight start and become the first AL pitcher
to 15 wins.
"We've definitely seen better from him," Ausmus said, "but it wasn't a
terrible outing."
Tampa Bay starter Chris Archer was charged with four runs (one earned)
on five hits and five walks with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. He
lasted six innings in each of his previous five starts.
NOTES: Tigers LHP David Price, who won the American League Cy Young
Award with Tampa Bay in 2012, will face his former team Thursday. He was
dealt to Detroit at the July 31 trade deadline. ... RHP Kevin Whelan
accepted his assignment to Triple-A Toledo. Whelan was outrighted by the
Tigers on Sunday. ... Rays RF Wil Myers could soon return to major
league club, manager Joe Maddon said. Myers (broken right wrist) is
currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham. ... Rays OF David
DeJesus (broken left hand) and C Ryan Hanigan (left oblique) took
pregame batting practice and are expected to begin rehab assignments
soon.
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