Davis' 13th-Inning Sac Fly gives Tigers 8-7 Win Over Rays
DAVE HOGG, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — Rajai Davis is having a series he might never forget and there's still another game to play.
One night after he hit two homers to help the Tigers beat Tampa Bay, he capped off a wild game with a sacrifice fly in the 13th inning to give Detroit an 8-7 victory Tuesday night.
Davis was involved in four replay challenges in the game, including two in the 11th inning without a pitch being thrown in between. He reached on an infield single, where the original call was overturned, then was nearly picked off, with the safe call standing. He homered — his third in two days — dropped a routine fly ball with the bases loaded and struck out three times.
"Everything is just blurry right now," Davis said. "I can't say that I've ever been a part of anything like that before, or even seen anything like that before."
The game was tied four times, the last at 7-7, before the Tigers finally put it away at 12:11 a.m.
James McCann led off the 13th with an infield single, and Andrew Bellatti (0-1) couldn't pick up Jefry Marte's bunt attempt, putting runners on first and second. Andrew Romine laid down a successful bunt putting runners at second and third.
Davis hit a fly ball to shallow left-center, but McCann broke for the plate and Grady Sizemore's throw home was weak and offline.
"I didn't think it was deep enough, but I hit it to the right guy," Davis said.
Kyle Ryan (2-3) picked up the win.
J.D. Martinez put the Tigers up 7-6 in the eighth with a leadoff homer off Tampa Bay's Nathan Karns, who hadn't made a relief appearance since pitching in Class-A ball in 2012. Karns pitched three innings without allowing another run.
"I have a whole new respect for the guys in the bullpen," Karns said. "Obviously, I didn't want to start with my second pitch getting hit out, but after that it was about limiting the damage."
Once again, though, the Tigers couldn't close a game. Closer Bruce Rondon started the ninth by walking Kevin Kiermeier, and James Loney hit a pinch-hit single.
With one out, Rondon walked Daniel Nava to load the bases, and Evan Longoria lifted a routine fly ball to deep left. Davis dropped the ball, allowing Kiermaier to score the tying run.
The teams combined to use 29 position players and 16 pitchers, 10 for Detroit, matching the franchise record set in 1998.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the third on Davis' homer, only the second time he had homered in consecutive games.
Tampa Bay tied it in the fourth when Mikie Mahtook tripled over Martinez's head in right and scored on Longoria's sacrifice fly.
The Rays went ahead in the sixth. Kiermeier started the inning with a walk, and took third on J.P. Arenciba's single. Al Alburquerque replaced Matt Boyd and gave up RBI singles to Sizemore, Longoria and Logan Forsythe.
Alburquerque balked to move Longoria and Forsythe to second and third with one out, and Tim Beckham added an RBI single off Tom Gorzelanny to give the Rays a 5-1 lead.
The Tigers loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning, and Matt Andriese replaced Ramirez to face Martinez. He fouled off three two-strike pitches before drawing a walk.
Alex Colome struck Nick Castellanos, but then hit McCann in the head with an 89 mph fastball. The ball hit McCann squarely on the helmet, above the left temple, but he simply trotted to first, pulling the Tigers within 5-3.
After Colome struck out Tyler Collins, Andrew Romine hit a single to left, making it 5-4, but Martinez ran through third base coach Dave Clark's stop sign, then froze. Instead of trapping him between third and home, though, Longoria went after McCann, and Martinez was able to score before the tag.
"We got lucky on that one," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "J.D. had his head down, and he really needs to pick up Clarkey. If the throw goes through, he's out."
Tampa regained the lead on Nava's RBI single in the seventh, but Anthony Gose singled with one out in bottom of the inning, took third on consecutive wild pitches by Colome and scored when Rene Rivera threw wildly to third on the second one.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: OF Steven Souza (left hand fracture) played five innings for Triple-A Durham, going for 0 for 2 with a HBP, and will now move his rehab assignment to High-A Charlotte as they play in the Gulf Coast League playoffs.
Tigers: DH Victor Martinez missed his second straight game with a respiratory illness. His status for Wednesday night is unknown. . LHP Daniel Norris (oblique) and RHP Anibal Sanchez (rotator cuff) are both on pace to pitch in a simulated game Saturday.
UP NEXT
The teams finish the three-game series Wednesday night, with Jake Odorizzi (6-8, 3.35) facing Detroit's Kyle Lobstein (3-6, 5.02). Lobstein will be making his second start after missing more than three months with a shoulder injury.
(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
