Dan Dickerson's Game Recap 4-12-11
Miguel Cabrera delivered a two-out, bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth, and the Tigers handed the Texas Rangers just their second loss of the year, 5-4. Brandon Inge started the rally with a sharp single to left off reliever Darren O'Day. Then, after Alex Avila sacrificed Inge to second, Austin Jackson walked with one out, and then Ryan Raburn walked with two outs to load the bases. Cabrera then drilled a 2-1 pitch into left for the game-winner. This game had a little bit of everything - including superb defense from the Tigers: Raburn robbed Michael Young of a three-run home run with a running, leaping catch at the wall in left in the third. In the fourth, Ramon Santiago cut down Adrian Beltre trying to stretch a double into a triple with a strong relay throw from medium-depth right-center. The Tigers erased one-run deficits three different times - they tied the game on a Raburn RBI double in the 6th (Santiago ran through Gene Lamont's stop sign to score), then briefly took the lead on a Brennan Boesch two-out RBI single later in the inning. The Rangers tied the game in the 8th on a two-out RBI single by Nelson Cruz off Joaquin Benoit, but all that did was set up the dramatics in the ninth.
Brad Penny started for the Tigers - and was solid. He gave up some hard-hit balls early, then got some easier groundball outs late. He lasted 6 and two-thirds innings, and gave up three earned runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out two. Benoit gave up a run in the eighth, and Valverde got the win by working a scoreless ninth. The Tigers are now 4-7, the Rangers fall to 9-2. The Tigers can win their first series of the year tomorrow afternoon. Max Scherzer starts for the Tigers, David Bush starts for Texas.
Listen below to Miguel Cabrera's game winning RBI
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Listen below to Ryan Raburn's HR saving catch
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Listen below to Ramon Santiago running threw a stop sign to score
