Tigers 2 , Tampa Bay 1
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WWJ/AP) - Alex Avila hit an RBI single in the seventh to tie the score helping the Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Tuesday night.
As heard on 97.1 The Ticket - Avila got the offense started hitting a single to center, scoring Miguel Cabrera. Jhonny Peralta hit a sacrifice fly to center bringing in what would be the winning run, scoring Victor Martinez.
Brad Penny pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Penny (9-9) gave up one run and eight hits over 6 1-3 innings. He had gone 1-3 with a 6.99 ERA in his previous five starts.
Phil Coke allowed two doubles, two intentional walks and struck out five over the final two innings for his first save. Tigers manager Jim Leyland stuck to his plan of giving eighth-inning setup man Joaquin Benoit and closer Jose Valverde the night off.
After Johnny Damon hit two-out double and Evan Longoria was intentionally walked in the ninth, both advanced one base on Coke's wild pitch. Ben Zobrist then hit three foul balls on 3-2 pitches before grounding out to end the game.
Get the latest scores for Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, and Pistons delivered daily to you from 97.1 for FREE. Simply text the keyword to the number and you're all set! Text SCORE to 97136. (Text messages are sent before 10pm on weekdays and before 11pm on weekends).
(Copyright 2011 WWJ Newsradio 950. All Rights Reserved.) (Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)