MINNEAPOLIS -- Miguel Cabrera hit two of Detroit's four home runs, no-doubt drives that gave the star slugger a pair of satisfying jogs around the bases.
James McCann had to hustle for his. The inside-the-park shot and the first of his career put the rookie catcher, oh, a mere 393 homers behind Cabrera.
With a variety of sources and styles, the Tigers produced a powerful rally for a 10-7 victory Wednesday to take the series from the Minnesota Twins.
"That's the beauty of this team," McCann said. "Up and down the lineup, guys can hurt you left and right. That's a great thing to have."McCann's two-run drive tied the game in the sixth inning for the Tigers, who trailed Phil Hughes and the Twins 7-3 after a seven-run burst against Shane Greene over the fourth and the fifth.
Hughes finished five innings before being removed because of a mild left hip flexor strain, and Cabrera and J.D. Martinez hit home runs in the sixth off Tim Stauffer. Aaron Thompson relieved with two out and one on, when McCann's deep fly eluded center fielder Jordan Schafer and ricocheted sharply along the warning track.
By the time Oswaldo Arcia retreated from shallow right field to retrieve the ball, McCann was rounding third.
"I've never run that far in a baseball game before," McCann said.
Tom Gorzelanny (1-1) got four outs for the victory, and Joakim Soria notched his ninth save in as many attempts with a scoreless final inning. Casey Fien (1-2) was the bad-luck loser in the eighth, when he should've escaped without a run. Trevor Plouffe called for a harmless pop-up that bounced on the mound in front of five Twins. Three batters later, Andrew Romine hit the go-ahead RBI single.
Plouffe said he lost the ball in the sun until the last second.
"By the time I did see it I called for it and I was in no position to catch it," he said. "But it's a play I have to make."
Joe Mauer drove in runs with a double and a single, Arcia hit a two-run homer and Plouffe had a three-run shot for the Twins, who also hit three bunt singles in their own diverse attack on Greene.
But then Hughes started to see double. Five Tigers in a stretch of seven at-bats delivered two-base hits, including run-scoring doubles by Cabrera and McCann.
"We're always in a game," said second baseman Ian Kinsler, one of six players with at least two hits. "I think it helps our pitchers that they understand that, that as long as they can keep us close and keep us in the game we've got a chance to win, we've got a chance to explode."
Hughes, still winless after five starts, finally pitched with a lead after Greene failed to finish the fifth for the second straight time. Greene has allowed 18 hits and 15 runs over his last two turns, but with 17 hits the Tigers picked him up.
"The long ball will hurt you, no matter who's out there," Twins manager Pauli Molitor said.
MCCANN'S PRIZE
The upside to an inside-the-park shot serving as a player's first career home run is the elimination of potential negotiating with a fan who grabbed it in the seats. In this case, the Tigers simply asked the umpire for the ball. McCann said he'll keep it on a shelf next to his first career hit.
He also said his legs felt fine. His lungs, though, needed time to recover.
"It was maybe an out or two into the next inning, and I was still out of breath from running that far," McCann said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: Rajai Davis played center field, following a two-game absence due to tightness in his right groin.
Twins: Schafer left in the sixth inning with a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Fien's previous shoulder injury resurfaced in the ninth, prompting his removal during a plate appearance.
UP NEXT
The Tigers move on to Kansas City for a four-game series starting Thursday. Alfredo Simon will take the mound, trying to stay unbeaten with his new team, after allowing a total of two runs over his last three starts. Danny Duffy will start for the Royals.
The Twins stay home for a four-game series beginning Thursday against Chicago, pitting Trevor May against White Sox ace Chris Sale. This will be the first performance in front of paying customers for the White Sox in four days. Their first two games in Baltimore were postponed and the third against the Orioles was played in an empty ballpark because of safety concerns in the city.
James McCann had to hustle for his. The inside-the-park shot and the first of his career put the rookie catcher, oh, a mere 393 homers behind Cabrera.
With a variety of sources and styles, the Tigers produced a powerful rally for a 10-7 victory Wednesday to take the series from the Minnesota Twins.
"That's the beauty of this team," McCann said. "Up and down the lineup, guys can hurt you left and right. That's a great thing to have."McCann's two-run drive tied the game in the sixth inning for the Tigers, who trailed Phil Hughes and the Twins 7-3 after a seven-run burst against Shane Greene over the fourth and the fifth.
Hughes finished five innings before being removed because of a mild left hip flexor strain, and Cabrera and J.D. Martinez hit home runs in the sixth off Tim Stauffer. Aaron Thompson relieved with two out and one on, when McCann's deep fly eluded center fielder Jordan Schafer and ricocheted sharply along the warning track.
By the time Oswaldo Arcia retreated from shallow right field to retrieve the ball, McCann was rounding third.
"I've never run that far in a baseball game before," McCann said.
Tom Gorzelanny (1-1) got four outs for the victory, and Joakim Soria notched his ninth save in as many attempts with a scoreless final inning. Casey Fien (1-2) was the bad-luck loser in the eighth, when he should've escaped without a run. Trevor Plouffe called for a harmless pop-up that bounced on the mound in front of five Twins. Three batters later, Andrew Romine hit the go-ahead RBI single.
Plouffe said he lost the ball in the sun until the last second.
"By the time I did see it I called for it and I was in no position to catch it," he said. "But it's a play I have to make."
Joe Mauer drove in runs with a double and a single, Arcia hit a two-run homer and Plouffe had a three-run shot for the Twins, who also hit three bunt singles in their own diverse attack on Greene.
But then Hughes started to see double. Five Tigers in a stretch of seven at-bats delivered two-base hits, including run-scoring doubles by Cabrera and McCann.
"We're always in a game," said second baseman Ian Kinsler, one of six players with at least two hits. "I think it helps our pitchers that they understand that, that as long as they can keep us close and keep us in the game we've got a chance to win, we've got a chance to explode."
Hughes, still winless after five starts, finally pitched with a lead after Greene failed to finish the fifth for the second straight time. Greene has allowed 18 hits and 15 runs over his last two turns, but with 17 hits the Tigers picked him up.
"The long ball will hurt you, no matter who's out there," Twins manager Pauli Molitor said.
MCCANN'S PRIZE
The upside to an inside-the-park shot serving as a player's first career home run is the elimination of potential negotiating with a fan who grabbed it in the seats. In this case, the Tigers simply asked the umpire for the ball. McCann said he'll keep it on a shelf next to his first career hit.
He also said his legs felt fine. His lungs, though, needed time to recover.
"It was maybe an out or two into the next inning, and I was still out of breath from running that far," McCann said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: Rajai Davis played center field, following a two-game absence due to tightness in his right groin.
Twins: Schafer left in the sixth inning with a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Fien's previous shoulder injury resurfaced in the ninth, prompting his removal during a plate appearance.
UP NEXT
The Tigers move on to Kansas City for a four-game series starting Thursday. Alfredo Simon will take the mound, trying to stay unbeaten with his new team, after allowing a total of two runs over his last three starts. Danny Duffy will start for the Royals.
The Twins stay home for a four-game series beginning Thursday against Chicago, pitting Trevor May against White Sox ace Chris Sale. This will be the first performance in front of paying customers for the White Sox in four days. Their first two games in Baltimore were postponed and the third against the Orioles was played in an empty ballpark because of safety concerns in the city.
1:10PM,EDT,April 29,2015
Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Detroit - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Hughes pitching for Minnesota | DET | MIN |
| Davis struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Kinsler popped out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera fouled out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Shane Greene pitching for Detroit | DET | MIN |
| Santana safe at first on error by pitcher Greene. | 0 | 0 |
| Dozier flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Mauer struck out swinging. Santana caught stealing second, catcher to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Phil Hughes pitching for Minnesota | DET | MIN |
| V. Martínez grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| J.D. Martinez struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Céspedes struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Shane Greene pitching for Detroit | DET | MIN |
| Plouffe singled to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Arcia grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Plouffe out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| Escobar fouled out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Phil Hughes pitching for Minnesota | DET | MIN |
| Castellanos flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| McCann grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Romine reached on infield single to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Romine caught stealing second, catcher to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Shane Greene pitching for Detroit | DET | MIN |
| Vargas struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Herrmann struck out looking. | 0 | 0 |
| Schafer struck out looking. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Phil Hughes pitching for Minnesota | DET | MIN |
| Davis lined out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Kinsler doubled to deep right. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera doubled to right, Kinsler scored. | 1 | 0 |
| V. Martínez lined out to second. | 1 | 0 |
| J.D. Martinez struck out looking. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Shane Greene pitching for Detroit | DET | MIN |
| Santana struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Dozier hit by pitch. | 1 | 0 |
| Mauer doubled to deep left center, Dozier scored. | 1 | 1 |
| Plouffe struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| Arcia homered to right (382 feet), Mauer scored. | 1 | 3 |
| Escobar singled to center. | 1 | 3 |
| Vargas singled to right, Escobar to second. | 1 | 3 |
| Herrmann struck out looking. | 1 | 3 |
| 3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Phil Hughes pitching for Minnesota | DET | MIN |
| Céspedes doubled to deep right. | 1 | 3 |
| Castellanos doubled to deep right, Céspedes scored. | 2 | 3 |
| McCann doubled to right, Castellanos scored. | 3 | 3 |
| Romine singled to left, McCann to third. | 3 | 3 |
| Davis grounded into fielder's choice to third, McCann out at home, Romine to second. | 3 | 3 |
| Romine caught stealing third, catcher to third. | 3 | 3 |
| Kinsler grounded out to second. | 3 | 3 |
| 2 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Shane Greene pitching for Detroit | DET | MIN |
| Schafer struck out swinging. | 3 | 3 |
| Santana reached on bunt single to pitcher. | 3 | 3 |
| Dozier reached on bunt single to third, Santana to second. | 3 | 3 |
| Mauer singled to center, Santana scored, Dozier to third. | 3 | 4 |
| Plouffe homered to left center (390 feet), Dozier and Mauer scored. | 3 | 7 |
| Hardy relieved Greene. | 3 | 7 |
| Arcia reached on infield single to shortstop. | 3 | 7 |
| Escobar fouled out to first. | 3 | 7 |
| Vargas flied out to right. | 3 | 7 |
| 4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Tim Stauffer pitching for Minnesota | DET | MIN |
| Stauffer relieved Hughes. | 3 | 7 |
| Cabrera homered to center (446 feet). | 4 | 7 |
| V. Martínez grounded out to first. | 4 | 7 |
| J.D. Martinez homered to left (365 feet). | 5 | 7 |
| Céspedes grounded out to third. | 5 | 7 |
| Castellanos singled to center. | 5 | 7 |
| Thompson relieved Stauffer. | 5 | 7 |
| McCann inside-the-park home run to deep right center (409 feet), Castellanos scored. | 7 | 7 |
| Romine singled to right. | 7 | 7 |
| Romine stole second. | 7 | 7 |
| Davis flied out to right. | 7 | 7 |
| 4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Blaine Hardy pitching for Detroit | DET | MIN |
| Herrmann grounded out to second. | 7 | 7 |
| Schafer reached on bunt single to pitcher. | 7 | 7 |
| Robinson ran for Schafer. | 7 | 7 |
| Santana struck out swinging. | 7 | 7 |
| Nesbitt relieved Hardy. | 7 | 7 |
| Dozier lined out to shortstop. | 7 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Aaron Thompson pitching for Minnesota | DET | MIN |
| Robinson in center field. | 7 | 7 |
| Kinsler flied out to center. | 7 | 7 |
| Boyer relieved Thompson. | 7 | 7 |
| Cabrera struck out swinging. | 7 | 7 |
| V. Martínez grounded out to third. | 7 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Angel Nesbitt pitching for Detroit | DET | MIN |
| Mauer lined out to center. | 7 | 7 |
| Plouffe struck out looking. | 7 | 7 |
| Gorzelanny relieved Nesbitt. | 7 | 7 |
| Arcia struck out swinging. | 7 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Casey Fien pitching for Minnesota | DET | MIN |
| Fien relieved Boyer. | 7 | 7 |
| J.D. Martinez grounded out to shortstop. | 7 | 7 |
| Céspedes reached on infield single to first. | 7 | 7 |
| Castellanos flied out to center. | 7 | 7 |
| McCann singled to center, Céspedes to second. | 7 | 7 |
| Romine singled to left center, Céspedes scored, McCann to second. | 8 | 7 |
| Davis flied out to right. | 8 | 7 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Tom Gorzelanny pitching for Detroit | DET | MIN |
| Escobar struck out swinging. | 8 | 7 |
| Vargas singled to left. | 8 | 7 |
| Núñez ran for Vargas. | 8 | 7 |
| Herrmann grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Núñez out at second. | 8 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Casey Fien pitching for Minnesota | DET | MIN |
| Plouffe at first base. | 8 | 7 |
| Núñez at third base. | 8 | 7 |
| Kinsler singled to shallow right. | 8 | 7 |
| Cabrera homered to center (430 feet), Kinsler scored. | 10 | 7 |
| Thielbar relieved Fien. | 10 | 7 |
| V. Martínez grounded out to pitcher. | 10 | 7 |
| J.D. Martinez struck out looking. | 10 | 7 |
| Céspedes flied out to left. | 10 | 7 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Joakim Soria pitching for Detroit | DET | MIN |
| Iglesias at shortstop. | 10 | 7 |
| Romine at third base. | 10 | 7 |
| Soria relieved Gorzelanny. | 10 | 7 |
| Robinson walked. | 10 | 7 |
| Santana lined out to third. | 10 | 7 |
| Dozier flied out to center. | 10 | 7 |
| Robinson to second on fielder's indifference. | 10 | 7 |
| Mauer singled to right, Robinson to third. | 10 | 7 |
| Plouffe struck out looking. | 10 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit Tigers | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Davis CF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .304 | .407 | .435 |
| Kinsler 2B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .292 | .347 | .371 |
| Cabrera 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 20 | .370 | .453 | .630 |
| V. Martínez DH | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | .213 | .333 | .230 |
| J.D. Martinez RF | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 20 | .273 | .304 | .545 |
| Céspedes LF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | .310 | .330 | .571 |
| Castellanos 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | .233 | .296 | .397 |
Iglesias SS
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .379 | .431 | .515 |
| McCann C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .258 | .281 | .452 |
| Romine SS-3B | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .667 | .750 | .667 |
| Totals | 42 | 10 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 158 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Kinsler (5, Hughes); Cabrera (6, Hughes); Céspedes (8, Hughes); Castellanos (4, Hughes); McCann (1, Hughes) HR: Cabrera 2 (5, 6th inning off Stauffer 0 on, 0 Out; 9th inning off Fien 1 on, 0 Out); J.D. Martinez (6, 6th inning off Stauffer 0 on, 1 Out); McCann (1, 6th inning off Thompson 1 on, 2 Out) RBI: Cabrera 4 (17), Castellanos (8), McCann 3 (5), J.D. Martinez (15), Romine (1) 2-out RBI: McCann 2, Romine Tigers RISP: 5-10 (McCann 1-1, Davis 0-3, J.D. Martinez 0-1, Romine 2-2, Cabrera 1-1, V. Martínez 0-1, Castellanos 1-1) Team LOB: 5 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING SB: Romine (3, 2nd base off Thompson/Herrmann) CS: Romine 2 (3, 2nd base by Hughes/Herrmann, 3rd base by Hughes/Herrmann) | ||||||||||
| FIELDING E: Greene (1, catch) DP: 3 (McCann-Romine, Kinsler-Romine-Cabrera 2). | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| P P. HUGHES (HIP) LEFT GAME TOP 6TH |
| CF J. SCHAFER (KNEE) LEFT GAME BOTTOM 6TH |
Game Information
| Stadium | Target Field, Minneapolis, MN |
| Attendance | 19,447 (49.2% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:33 |
| Weather | 59 degrees, sunny |
| Wind | 11 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Bruce Dreckman, First Base - Tom Hallion, Second Base - Alfonso Marquez, Third Base - Dan Bellino |
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