Recap: Detroit vs. Tampa Bay
Sports Network | September 27, 2008
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Miguel Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a home run, and Aquilino Lopez tossed 2 2/3 perfect innings of relief to lead Detroit to a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay in the penultimate game of the regular season.
Lopez (4-1) earned the win in relief of Dontrelle Willis, who gave up three runs on four hits in 5 1/3 frames. Detroit has won the first three games of this four-game set between the clubs, after losing six in a row.
Willis, who was acquired from Florida this past winter along with Cabrera in a blockbuster deal, wrapped up a less-than-thrilling first season with the Tigers. In eight games -- seven starts -- he finished without a win at 0-2, with a 9.38 earned run average.
Magglio Ordonez also went 2-for-4 and drove in a run for the Tigers, who will go for the sweep on Sunday and try to avoid a last-place finish in the AL Central. They currently sit a half-game behind Kansas City, which plays at Minnesota.
Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza went five innings and allowed three runs on four hits, but Jeff Niemann (2-2) took the loss after allowing the deciding run in the final three frames.
Ben Zobrist went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double for the Rays, who have already clinched the AL East crown and are playoff-bound for the first time in franchise history.
Tampa Bay took the lead with a first-inning rally. Fernando Perez walked to lead off and went to second on a passed ball before a Zobrist single put runners on the corners. Evan Longoria struck out, but Rocco Baldelli smacked a two-run double to right-center field to put the Rays ahead.
Cabrera's leadoff homer in the second brought Detroit within one, though the Rays got the run back on Zobrist's one-out solo shot in the fifth.
The Tigers, however, countered with two runs in the home fifth. Matt Joyce's ground-rule double began the frame, and Edgar Renteria reached on a fielder's choice to put men on first and third.
A Brandon Inge sacrifice fly plated one run before Curtis Granderson grounded into a fielder's choice and ended up on first. Granderson advanced to second on a Ramon Santiago walk, and Ordonez followed with a run-scoring single to knot the game at 3-3.
Renteria's double with two away in the sixth plated Gary Sheffield, who had walked, stolen second and advanced to third on a groundout.
After Lopez held Tampa Bay in check through the eighth inning, Fernando Rodney entered for the ninth and was perfect to nail down his 13th save of the season.
Sheffield did not homer and remains stuck on 499 career homers...Inge committed his first error of the season...Zobrist has batted 7-for-10 with three home runs so far in this series.
