Kinsler's Hit Lifts Tigers Over Twins 2-1 In 10 Innings
By NOAH TRISTER/AP Baseball Writer
DETROIT (AP) - Ian Kinsler's RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted the Detroit Tigers to a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Anthony Gose hit a one-out double off Ryan Pressly (1-1), and Kinsler followed with a flare that dropped into shallow center field.
Angel Nesbitt (1-1) pitched the 10th for his first career win.
J.D. Martinez homered for the Tigers in the fourth inning, and Minnesota tied it in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Torii Hunter.
Alfredo Simon allowed a run and six hits in 7 2-3 innings for the Tigers. He struck out six and walked one.
Minnesota's Kyle Gibson was impressive as well, allowing a run and five hits in seven innings. He struck out six.
The Twins were outscored 22-1 in a season-opening three-game series at Detroit last month, and Tuesday wasn't much better offensively.
Minnesota looked poised to take an early lead in the second when Trevor Plouffe walked and Kurt Suzuki doubled. Plouffe was held at third with no outs, but Simon struck out Kennys Vargas, Eduardo Escobar and Aaron Hicks to keep the Twins off the scoreboard.
Gibson had not allowed a run in either of his previous two starts, and the Tigers didn't do much against him until Martinez lined an opposite-field drive over the wall in right in the fourth for his seventh homer of the year.
Vargas led off the fifth with a double and went to third on a groundout. But a flyout by Hicks wasn't deep enough to score the run, and Danny Santana hit a groundball for the third out.
Vargas hit a one-out single in the seventh, but he had to stay midway between first and second on Escobar's line drive to left, unsure if it would be caught. Detroit's Yoenis Cespedes played it on a short hop and threw to second in time for the force.
The Twins tied it in the eighth when Santana led off with a triple off the wall in right-center, and he scored on Hunter's one-out sacrifice fly.
Minnesota recovered nicely from that tough opening series against the Tigers and entered Tuesday's game only a game behind second-place Detroit in the AL Central. Even after the loss, the Twins are 9-3 in their last 12 games.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: Minnesota RHP Tim Stauffer (right intercostal strain) began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Rochester.
Tigers: Detroit RHP Justin Verlander (strained triceps) threw a light bullpen session before the game. ... Tigers SS Jose Iglesias returned to the lineup after missing four games with a groin injury.
UP NEXT
Minnesota RHP Ricky Nolasco (2-1) faces Detroit LHP Kyle Lobstein (3-2) on Wednesday night.
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