Miguel Cabrera put the Tigers in front 2-1 with a two-out double in the bottom of the fifth. In the sixth, Doug Fister came out and protected that narrow advantage, working around a leadoff HBP to keep the Rangers off the board. The HBP was of Ian Kinsler, in the back, so nothing serious, but it put Fister in a dangerous situation. Six pitches later, he was out of it.
Tigers vs. Rangers: Detroit Scores Big Insurance Runs In Sixth
To the bottom half we went, and immediately the Tigers produced a hugely important insurance run. I shouldn't say "the Tigers". I should say "a Tiger". Specifically, Jhonny Peralta. Peralta did it all by himself, blasting Colby Lewis' first pitch of the inning - a low-inside fastball - over the left field wall for a solo homer.
That doubled the Tigers’ lead, and if you’re a fan of Win Expectancy, it improved the Tigers’ chances of winning this game from 74 percent to 84 percent. Maybe that seems underwhelming to you, but trust me, ten percentage points is a pretty big deal.
But! The Tigers weren't finished. Two outs later, Andy Dirks chased Lewis with a single to left. Dirks stole second base off reliever Koji Uehara, and scored when Austin Jackson rolled a grounder back up the middle and into center field. BAM! 4-1!
That’s where the damage stopped, but 4-1 is a hell of a lot better than 2-1 going into the seventh, and Fister’s thrown just 76 pitches. It’s beginning to look like we might have a series.
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