DETROIT -- On Saturday night, the Detroit Tigers didn't look like a team that was ready to break a season-long streak of futility.
The Tigers were 0-54 this year when trailing after eight innings and had lost six of seven games overall. But the Tigers overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 12-11 on Justin Upton's two-run homer in the ninth inning.
"I'm pretty sure that no one in this clubhouse knew that we were 0-54," Upton said. "We know that, despite everything, we've fought to the end of every game. It didn't pay off the first 54 times, but it did tonight."
The Tigers blew their own five-run lead before coming back to end Minnesota's six-game winning streak.
"That's a game that has a huge range of emotions," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "We're up big and blow it, get down big and come back to win it. That's probably the best-tasting win of the year."
The loss, combined with Kansas City's win, means the Twins lead the Royals and Tampa Bay Rays by a half-game in the wild-card race.
"It's an ugly, tough loss to take," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "We need to win games, but we had 11 runs and 19 hits and couldn't win."
After James McCann hit a grand slam in a five-run first inning against Jose Berrios, the Twins tied the score 5-5 in the third, then scored twice in the fourth, once in the fifth and three times in the sixth for an 11-6 lead.
Upton hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and McCann hit into a run-scoring forceout in the eighth and scored on Jose Iglesias' home run against Trevor Hildenberger that cut Detroit's gap to 11-10.
Shane Greene (3-2) escaped a bases-loaded jam when he struck out Miguel Sano on a slider. Mikie Mahtook singled against Belisle (0-2) starting the bottom half and Upton drove a high 2-1 fastball into the left-field seats.
"I was trying to stay patient, and he threw me a fastball up and over the middle," Upton said. "I knew it was gone off the bat."
Belisle, who took over as the closer when Brandon Kintzler was traded to Washington, was quick to blame himself for the defeat.
"A fastball teed up right down the middle is a tough pitch to get away with in the big leagues," he said. "I'll take full accountability for that and the loss tonight."
Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann allowed seven runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings, while Berrios gave up six runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Joe Mauer's three-run double and Eddie Rosario's two-run homer, a 445-foot drive over the out-of-town scoreboard in right-centerfield, tied the score for the Twins in the third.
"Even at 5-0 down, we thought we still had a chance," Mauer said. "It was just a crazy game."
Minnesota's Byron Buxton homered leading off the fourth, sprinting around the bases at top speed until third-base coach Gene Glynn informed him the ball was in the seats.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: LHPs Hector Santiago (back) and Glen Perkins (shoulder) are both continuing minor-league rehab assignments and could return to the Minnesota roster next week.
Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera left with lower-back tightness after six innings.
"It is a little bit of a concern, because it is on the other side from what was bothering him before," Ausmus said. "I'll check with him in the morning, and we'll go from there."
CASTELLANOS CHANGING POSITIONS
Ausmus said 3B Nick Castellanos will begin working out in right field and could play there by the end of the season. Castellanos has struggled badly at third base, and the Tigers recently acquired highly regarded third-base prospect Jeimer Candelario in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Castellanos played nine games in left field in 2003 but has been exclusively at third since.
"I don't know how it will work out, but I brought it up to them," Castellanos said. "If it is beneficial to the team, I'm all for it."
UP NEXT
RHP Ervin Santana (12-7) is to start Sunday's series finale for the Twins. Santana is 9-5 with a 3.36 ERA in 20 starts against Detroit, but gave up five runs in 3 1/3 innings on July 21. LHP Matt Boyd (5-6) opens for the Tigers. He is 5-1 with a 3.52 ERA against the Twins, the only major-league team he has beaten more than twice.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
The Tigers were 0-54 this year when trailing after eight innings and had lost six of seven games overall. But the Tigers overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 12-11 on Justin Upton's two-run homer in the ninth inning.
"I'm pretty sure that no one in this clubhouse knew that we were 0-54," Upton said. "We know that, despite everything, we've fought to the end of every game. It didn't pay off the first 54 times, but it did tonight."
The Tigers blew their own five-run lead before coming back to end Minnesota's six-game winning streak.
"That's a game that has a huge range of emotions," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "We're up big and blow it, get down big and come back to win it. That's probably the best-tasting win of the year."
The loss, combined with Kansas City's win, means the Twins lead the Royals and Tampa Bay Rays by a half-game in the wild-card race.
"It's an ugly, tough loss to take," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "We need to win games, but we had 11 runs and 19 hits and couldn't win."
After James McCann hit a grand slam in a five-run first inning against Jose Berrios, the Twins tied the score 5-5 in the third, then scored twice in the fourth, once in the fifth and three times in the sixth for an 11-6 lead.
Upton hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and McCann hit into a run-scoring forceout in the eighth and scored on Jose Iglesias' home run against Trevor Hildenberger that cut Detroit's gap to 11-10.
Shane Greene (3-2) escaped a bases-loaded jam when he struck out Miguel Sano on a slider. Mikie Mahtook singled against Belisle (0-2) starting the bottom half and Upton drove a high 2-1 fastball into the left-field seats.
"I was trying to stay patient, and he threw me a fastball up and over the middle," Upton said. "I knew it was gone off the bat."
Belisle, who took over as the closer when Brandon Kintzler was traded to Washington, was quick to blame himself for the defeat.
"A fastball teed up right down the middle is a tough pitch to get away with in the big leagues," he said. "I'll take full accountability for that and the loss tonight."
Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann allowed seven runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings, while Berrios gave up six runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Joe Mauer's three-run double and Eddie Rosario's two-run homer, a 445-foot drive over the out-of-town scoreboard in right-centerfield, tied the score for the Twins in the third.
"Even at 5-0 down, we thought we still had a chance," Mauer said. "It was just a crazy game."
Minnesota's Byron Buxton homered leading off the fourth, sprinting around the bases at top speed until third-base coach Gene Glynn informed him the ball was in the seats.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: LHPs Hector Santiago (back) and Glen Perkins (shoulder) are both continuing minor-league rehab assignments and could return to the Minnesota roster next week.
Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera left with lower-back tightness after six innings.
"It is a little bit of a concern, because it is on the other side from what was bothering him before," Ausmus said. "I'll check with him in the morning, and we'll go from there."
CASTELLANOS CHANGING POSITIONS
Ausmus said 3B Nick Castellanos will begin working out in right field and could play there by the end of the season. Castellanos has struggled badly at third base, and the Tigers recently acquired highly regarded third-base prospect Jeimer Candelario in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Castellanos played nine games in left field in 2003 but has been exclusively at third since.
"I don't know how it will work out, but I brought it up to them," Castellanos said. "If it is beneficial to the team, I'm all for it."
UP NEXT
RHP Ervin Santana (12-7) is to start Sunday's series finale for the Twins. Santana is 9-5 with a 3.36 ERA in 20 starts against Detroit, but gave up five runs in 3 1/3 innings on July 21. LHP Matt Boyd (5-6) opens for the Tigers. He is 5-1 with a 3.52 ERA against the Twins, the only major-league team he has beaten more than twice.
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Minnesota - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Zimmermann pitching for Detroit | MIN | DET |
| Dozier flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Kepler grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| Mauer grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | DET |
| Kinsler grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Mahtook doubled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Upton singled to center, Mahtook to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera lined out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Castellanos reached on infield single to shortstop, Mahtook scored, Upton to second. | 0 | 1 |
| Martínez walked, Upton to third, Castellanos to second. | 0 | 1 |
| McCann homered to left center (405 feet), Upton, Castellanos and Martínez scored. | 0 | 5 |
| Presley walked. | 0 | 5 |
| Iglesias lined out to center. | 0 | 5 |
| 5 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Jordan Zimmermann pitching for Detroit | MIN | DET |
| Sanó grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 5 |
| Rosario struck out swinging. | 0 | 5 |
| Grossman singled to center. | 0 | 5 |
| Buxton flied out to right. | 0 | 5 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | DET |
| Kinsler flied out to center. | 0 | 5 |
| Mahtook lined out to shortstop. | 0 | 5 |
| Upton flied out to right. | 0 | 5 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Jordan Zimmermann pitching for Detroit | MIN | DET |
| Polanco fouled out to left. | 0 | 5 |
| Castro walked. | 0 | 5 |
| Dozier singled to left, Castro to second. | 0 | 5 |
| Kepler singled to right, Castro to third, Dozier to second. | 0 | 5 |
| Mauer doubled to deep left center, Castro, Dozier and Kepler scored. | 3 | 5 |
| Sanó fouled out to first. | 3 | 5 |
| Rosario homered to right center (445 feet), Mauer scored. | 5 | 5 |
| Grossman flied out to left. | 5 | 5 |
| 5 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | DET |
| Cabrera flied out to center. | 5 | 5 |
| Castellanos grounded out to third. | 5 | 5 |
| Martínez grounded out to first. | 5 | 5 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Jordan Zimmermann pitching for Detroit | MIN | DET |
| Buxton homered to right center (396 feet). | 6 | 5 |
| Polanco singled to right. | 6 | 5 |
| Castro grounded out to first, Polanco to second. | 6 | 5 |
| Dozier singled to left, Polanco scored. | 7 | 5 |
| Stumpf relieved Zimmermann. | 7 | 5 |
| Kepler hit by pitch, Dozier to second. | 7 | 5 |
| Mauer flied out to left. | 7 | 5 |
| Sanó popped out to shortstop. | 7 | 5 |
| 2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Jose Berrios pitching for Minnesota | MIN | DET |
| McCann doubled to deep right center. | 7 | 5 |
| Presley singled to center, McCann to third. | 7 | 5 |
| Iglesias grounded into fielder's choice to second, McCann scored, Presley out at second. | 7 | 6 |
| Kinsler hit by pitch, Iglesias to second. | 7 | 6 |
| Pressly relieved Berríos. | 7 | 6 |
| Mahtook struck out looking. | 7 | 6 |
| Upton fouled out to first. | 7 | 6 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Daniel Stumpf pitching for Detroit | MIN | DET |
| Rosario grounded out to first. | 7 | 6 |
| Grossman singled to center. | 7 | 6 |
| Buxton singled to left, Grossman to second. | 7 | 6 |
| Polanco flied out to right, Grossman to third. | 7 | 6 |
| Castro singled to center, Grossman scored, Buxton to third. | 8 | 6 |
| Mujica relieved Stumpf. | 8 | 6 |
| Dozier flied out to left. | 8 | 6 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Dillon Gee pitching for Minnesota | MIN | DET |
| Gee relieved Pressly. | 8 | 6 |
| Cabrera singled to center. | 8 | 6 |
| Castellanos grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Cabrera out at second. | 8 | 6 |
| Martínez flied out to center. | 8 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Edward Mujica pitching for Detroit | MIN | DET |
| Kepler singled to right. | 8 | 6 |
| Mauer homered to left center (384 feet), Kepler scored. | 10 | 6 |
| Sanó singled to left. | 10 | 6 |
| Rosario doubled to deep right, Sanó to third. | 10 | 6 |
| Grossman flied out to center. | 10 | 6 |
| Buxton hit sacrifice fly to left, Sanó scored, Rosario to third. | 11 | 6 |
| Polanco struck out looking. | 11 | 6 |
| 3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Dillon Gee pitching for Minnesota | MIN | DET |
| McCann popped out to first. | 11 | 6 |
| Presley flied out to left. | 11 | 6 |
| Iglesias grounded out to third. | 11 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Joe Jimenez pitching for Detroit | MIN | DET |
| Hicks at first base. | 11 | 6 |
| Jiménez relieved Mujica. | 11 | 6 |
| Castro doubled to right center. | 11 | 6 |
| Dozier grounded out to shortstop, Castro to third. | 11 | 6 |
| Kepler grounded out to first. | 11 | 6 |
| Mauer grounded out to second. | 11 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Dillon Gee pitching for Minnesota | MIN | DET |
| Kinsler grounded out to shortstop. | 11 | 6 |
| Mahtook tripled to right. | 11 | 6 |
| Upton hit sacrifice fly to right, Mahtook scored. | 11 | 7 |
| Hicks struck out swinging. | 11 | 7 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Joe Jimenez pitching for Detroit | MIN | DET |
| Sanó singled to left. | 11 | 7 |
| Rosario flied out to center. | 11 | 7 |
| Grossman grounded into fielder's choice to second, Sanó out at second, Grossman to second on throwing error by shortstop Iglesias. | 11 | 7 |
| Buxton struck out swinging. | 11 | 7 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Dillon Gee pitching for Minnesota | MIN | DET |
| Castellanos singled to right center. | 11 | 7 |
| Martínez singled to deep right, Castellanos to third. | 11 | 7 |
| Hildenberger relieved Gee. | 11 | 7 |
| McCann grounded into fielder's choice to third, Castellanos scored, Martínez out at second. | 11 | 8 |
| Presley grounded out to second, McCann to second. | 11 | 8 |
| Iglesias homered to left center (388 feet), McCann scored. | 11 | 10 |
| Belisle relieved Hildenberger. | 11 | 10 |
| Kinsler struck out swinging. | 11 | 10 |
| 3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Shane Greene pitching for Detroit | MIN | DET |
| Greene relieved Jiménez. | 11 | 10 |
| Polanco struck out swinging. | 11 | 10 |
| Castro singled to right. | 11 | 10 |
| Dozier singled to left center, Castro to second. | 11 | 10 |
| Kepler grounded out to first, Castro to third, Dozier to second. | 11 | 10 |
| Mauer walked. | 11 | 10 |
| Sanó struck out swinging. | 11 | 10 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Matt Belisle pitching for Minnesota | MIN | DET |
| Mahtook singled to shallow right center. | 11 | 10 |
| Upton homered to left (403 feet), Mahtook scored. | 11 | 12 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota Twins | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Dozier 2B | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | .256 | .333 | .467 |
| Kepler RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | .252 | .322 | .432 |
| Mauer 1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 28 | .279 | .370 | .388 |
| Sanó 3B | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | .270 | .356 | .508 |
| Rosario LF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 18 | .293 | .332 | .501 |
| Grossman DH | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .248 | .374 | .371 |
| Buxton CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 19 | .230 | .300 | .324 |
| Polanco SS | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23 | .241 | .290 | .342 |
| Castro C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | .233 | .333 | .375 |
| Totals | 45 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 182 | |||
| BATTING 2B: Mauer (21, Zimmermann); Rosario (24, Mujica); Castro (21, Jiménez) HR: Rosario (16, 3rd inning off Zimmermann 1 on, 2 Out); Buxton (6, 4th inning off Zimmermann 0 on, 0 Out); Mauer (6, 6th inning off Mujica 1 on, 0 Out) RBI: Mauer 5 (50), Rosario 2 (46), Buxton 2 (21), Dozier (64), Castro (34) SF: Buxton 2-out RBI: Rosario 2, Castro Twins RISP: 5-18 (Buxton 0-1, Kepler 1-3, Rosario 1-1, Mauer 1-3, Grossman 0-1, Sanó 0-3, Dozier 1-3, Castro 1-1, Polanco 0-2) Team LOB: 11 | ||||||||||
| FIELDING DP: 1 (Dozier-Polanco-Mauer). | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| 1B CABRERA (LOWER BACK TIGHTNESS) LEFT GAME TOP 7TH |
Game Information
| Stadium | Comerica Park, Detroit, MI |
| Attendance | 33,006 (79.4% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:36 |
| Weather | 76 degrees, cloudy |
| Wind | 11 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Brian O'Nora, First Base - Ben May, Second Base - Scott Barry, Third Base - Quinn Wolcott |
No comments:
Post a Comment