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Cabrera leads Tigers over Athletics

Aug 10, 2008 - 4:37 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Detroit Tigers pounced on the chance to continue the Oakland Athletics' misery in the second half.

Miguel Cabrera belted two home runs Saturday as the Tigers trounced the struggling Athletics, 10-2, handing Oakland its 18th loss in 21 games since the All-Star break.

Oakland (54-62) notched 45 wins in the first 82 games of the season but has mustered just nine over the last 33 contests. In the same span, its offense has sputtered, scoring just 3.2 runs per game compared to 4.4 prior to the break.

The Tigers (57-59) have failed to ease the sting of a pedestrian first half but somehow find themselves within striking distance in the wide-open American League Central Division. They are eight games out of first place, which is occupied by the Minnesota Twins (65-51).

Cabrera snapped a 2-2 tie in the fourth with a solo shot off Dan Meyer and put the game out of reach with a three-run blast in the seventh, helping Detroit notch just its second win in nine contests.

"I know what (opposing pitchers) are trying to do to me now," Cabrera said. "I can figure it out, I'm comfortable. I know what I can do."

"He's a force. We talked about how good he would be, and he's gotten acclimated (to the American League)," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "The guy's an offensive force, you know that. You're starting to see that more."

Meyer (0-1), who was part of the trade that sent Tim Hudson to the Atlanta Braves in 2004, allowed three runs and six hits in five innings for the Athletics, who have dropped 11 of 12.

"I tried to keep us in the game, but I made a couple of mistakes and they did what they were supposed to do," Meyer said. "If you don't execute against a team like this, they will hurt you, and that's what they did."

"He did a decent job," Athletics manager Bob Geren said. "Even with the solo home runs, he kept us in the game. I'm pleased with his performance."

Gary Sheffield and Edgar Renteria belted solo homers in the second and third, respectively, but Oakland's Jack Cust laced an RBI single in the fourth to knot the contest.

In the eighth, Brandon Inge had a run-scoring single, sparking a four-run rally that secured the win for Armando Galarraga, who surrendered two runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 solid innings.

"He wasn't sharp tonight, but good enough," Leyland said. "That's a good sign, when you cannot have your good stuff and still win."

Galarraga (10-4) has established himself as one of the most talented rookie hurlers in baseball and ranks among those leaders in most pitching categories. The 26-year-old has not lost since July 18, winning three consecutive decisions.

Frank Thomas gave Oakland a 1-0 lead in the first with his eighth home run of the season and 521st career, which ties him with Willie McCovey and Ted Williams for 17th place on the all-time list.

"All we can do now is come back tomorrow and try to win a series," Geren said. "That's something we haven't done in a while."