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Cabrera does it all as Tigers beat Royals

Aug 31, 2008 - 9:44 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- One clutch moment wasn't enough for Miguel Cabrera. He just had to have two.

The slugger came through in two huge moments on Sunday, driving in all four of his team's runs - including a game-winning two-run double - as the Detroit Tigers rallied for a 4-2 triumph over the Kansas City Royals.

"He's at his best when it really means something," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of his 25-year-old first baseman. "There's no telling what this guy can do. This guy's been one of the biggest forces in baseball his first four years, first five years of baseball. There's no telling what this guy can do."

Cabrera - who over the last two months is hitting .300 with 18 homers and 56 RBI - erased a 2-0 deficit in the sixth inning, driving a high, outside fastball deep into the right-field bullpen to tie the game at 2-2. It was his 29th home run of the season.

"Leyland says I'm focused more when I've got runners in scoring position," Cabrera said. "I focus every at bat but in that situation, you've got to drive the run in."

But his biggest hit of the night was still two innings away. After the Tigers loaded the bases off Kansas City reliever Kip Wells (0-1) in the eighth, Cabrera lined a hard grounder down the left field line for a double, scoring a pair to lead the Tigers to just their second victory in their last seven games.

"Most of my pitches were just off," Wells said. "I just couldn't throw strikes. That's something you can't afford to do in that situation. It comes back to bite you."

Gary Glover (2-3) pitched a perfect eighth inning to pick up the victory. Detroit starter Armando Galarraga tossed seven strong innings, giving up two runs and eight hits while striking out eight and issuing one walk. He allowed David DeJesus to score the game's first run on a wild pitch in the third inning and served up a home run to Jose Guillen in the sixth, but kept himself out of major trouble for the majority of the afternoon.

"I feel good today," Galarraga said. "In the sixth inning, I got behind a couple of hitters and it was important to come back in that situation. It was really good for me."

Guillen's 18th homer of the season - a deep blast to left field - put the Royals up 2-0 in the sixth inning.

The Royals, who have lost 13 of their last 15 games, wasted a strong effort from Gil Meche. The righthander essentially matched Galarraga's performance, giving up two runs and five hits over seven innings. He struck out six and did not register a walk. The Tigers couldn't touch him until Cabrera took him deep to end the shutout attempt.

"My big mistake was the homer to Cabrera," Meche said. "I thought he was looking for a fastball and I tried to sneak one past him off the corner. But he's such a strong kid and he got all of it. I knew it was a homer as soon as it left the bat."

Just before his team took the lead, Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected in the eighth inning after Brandon Inge was called out at third on a fielder's choice by Placido Polanco.