Cabrera Powers Tigers Past Twins 10-7 After Hughes Gets Hurt
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit two of Detroit's four home runs during a powerful rally in the Tigers' 10-7 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.
Rookie James McCann's first career homer came on an inside-the-park, two-run drive that tied it in the sixth inning for the Tigers, who trailed Phil Hughes and the Twins 7-3 after a seven-run burst against Shane Greene over the fourth and the fifth.
Hughes finished five innings before being removed because of a mild left hip flexor strain, and Cabrera and J.D. Martinez hit home runs in the sixth off Tim Stauffer. Aaron Thompson relieved with two out and one on, when McCann's deep fly eluded center fielder Jordan Schafer and ricocheted sharply along the warning track.
By the time Oswaldo Arcia retreated from shallow right field to retrieve the ball, McCann was rounding third.
Tom Gorzelanny (1-1) got four outs for the victory, and Joakim Soria notched his ninth save in as many attempts with a scoreless final inning. Casey Fien (1-2) was the loser.
Hughes, still winless after five starts, finally pitched with a lead after Greene failed to finish the fifth for the second straight time. He has allowed 18 hits and 15 runs over his last two turns, but with 17 hits the Tigers picked him up.
Joe Mauer drove in runs with a double and a single, Arcia hit a two-run homer and Trevor Plouffe had a three-run shot for the Twins, who also hit three bunt singles.
But then Hughes started to see double. Five Tigers in a stretch of seven at-bats delivered two-base hits, including run-scoring doubles by Cabrera and McCann.
Fien came in for the eighth inning and should've escaped without a run. Plouffe called for a harmless pop-up that tailed away at the last second and bounced on the mound in front of five Twins. Three batters later, Andrew Romine hit the go-ahead RBI single.
Fien left in the ninth with an apparent injury.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: Rajai Davis played center field, following a two-game absence due to tightness in his right groin.
Also, manager Brad Ausmus said he's seen signs of progress in Victor Martinez's recovery from offseason surgery on his left knee, though the veteran designated hitter dropped to 7 for 45 from the right side of the plate and has only one extra-base hit in 22 games.
"The limp's not as noticeable. When he's taking pitches he looks more normal, more comfortable, so I think we're heading in the right direction," Ausmus said.
Twins: With right-hander Ricky Nolasco soon ready to leave the disabled list, the Twins will remove someone from the rotation. Manager Paul Molitor said he doesn't want a six-man group, and general manager Terry Ryan indicated right-hander Mike Pelfrey will stay in place after posting a 2.25 ERA over his first four starts. Right-hander Trevor May was deemed fit to start Thursday after a line drive hit his right elbow and knocked him out of his previous start.
The Twins also lost Schafer in the sixth inning to a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
UP NEXT
The Tigers move on to Kansas City for a four-game series starting Thursday. Right-hander Alfredo Simon (4-0, 1.65 ERA) will take the mound, trying to stay unbeaten with his new team, after allowing a total of two runs over his last three starts. Left-hander Danny Duffy (1-0, 4.15 ERA) will start for the Royals.
The Twins stay home for a four-game series beginning Thursday against Chicago's ace Chris Sale (2-0, 2.37 ERA). This will be the first performance in front of paying customers for the White Sox in four days, after their first two games in Baltimore were postponed and the third against the Orioles was played in an empty ballpark because of safety concerns in the city.
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