LDN - Sports

Eight-run, ninth-inning rally lifts Tigers past Rays

[July 01, 2016] ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- When Cameron Maybin stepped to the plate to lead off the ninth inning, the Detroit Tigers trailed the Tampa Bay Rays 7-2, with only four hits on the night.

He singled to start an improbable rally, and when he came up again, the game was tied, the bases were loaded and he ripped a three-run double to left field, sparking the Tigers to a 10-7 win on Thursday night at Tropicana Field.

"You're just thinking about doing the job and trying to pass the baton," Maybin said. "Fortunately enough, we continued to fight and never quit. That was pretty special. We showed a lot of fight, a lot of heart."

The Tigers rallied for eight runs on seven hits in the ninth -- their most runs in any ninth inning since 2001. Per ESPN research, teams trailing by five or more runs in the ninth inning over the past five seasons had three wins and 2,779 losses entering Thursday's game.

"You just keep the snowball keeps rolling down the hill," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "I don't know that I've ever seen that before, with that offensive explosion in the ninth inning to come back and win a ballgame."

The Rays had been 28-1 this season when leading after eight, and hadn't allowed more than five runs in any inning all season.

How the ninth unraveled for the Rays: Maybin, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Nick Castellanos singled to chase rookie Ryan Garton with the lead still 7-3. Erasmo Ramirez (7-6) gave up an RBI single to Justin Upton and a sacrifice fly to Steven Moya, then an RBI single to Jarrod Saltalamacchia to make it 7-6.

Ramirez walked Jose Iglesias to load the bases, then walked Ian Kinsler to tie the game. Maybin's double to left-center cleared the bases and completed the rally.

"That's a frustrating loss," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I don't know if there's been one more frustrating this year, but that was definitely a difficult one. They just pieced together a bunch of hits."

The bullpen disaster came after Rays starter Jake Odorizzi held the Tigers to one hit in the first five innings. Reliever Matt Andriese got out of a sixth-inning jam and pitched three innings, setting up what should have been an easy ninth inning.

"We always talk about how hitting gets contagious," Cash said. "That was one contagious inning for them."

Nick Franklin gave the Rays a 5-0 lead with a two-out, three-run double in the third inning, giving him nine RBIs for the week after he spent most of the season in the minors. He totaled just seven RBIs in 44 games last season.

[to top of second column]

Tigers center fielder Cameron Maybin (4) hits a 3- RBI double during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Detroit Tigers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 10-7. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay (33-45) added two insurance runs in the eighth from the bottom of their lineup, with No. 8 hitter Oswaldo Arcia singling and stealing second, then scoring on an RBI double by No. 9 hitter Hank Conger, who broke out of an 0-for-12 slump with the hit. Logan Forsythe brought in Conger with his third hit of the night. The Rays matched a season high with six doubles, two from Evan Longoria.

Tigers reliever Anibal Sanchez (5-8) allowed two runs in two innings but emerged with the win. Francisco Rodriguez threw a scoreless ninth for his 22nd save.

Maybin finished with three hits and four RBIs, and Iglesias added two hits and two runs for Detroit.

Longoria had three hits for Tampa Bay, which got two hits apiece from Corey Dickerson and Oswaldo Arcia.

NOTES: Before throwing two scoreless innings in Wednesday's shutout win, the Rays' bullpen had a streak of 13 straight games allowing at least one run. The bullpen had a 9.00 ERA -- worst in the majors -- during that stretch, with Tampa Bay going 1-12 in those games. ... As the Rays stretched in the outfield before the game, players watched the final of the College World Series on the stadium's video board. Rookie OF Taylor Motter is a Coastal grad and promptly pulled off his Rays jersey on the clinching final out to show a Coastal T-shirt, which he kept on during infield drills. ... Detroit's Steven Moya and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit back-to-back home runs in Wednesday's win over the Marlins -- the sixth time the Tigers have done that in 2016 but the first in more than a month, since J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera on May 23.

Back to top