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Tigers outslug Dodgers for fifth win in row

Jun 15, 2008 - 12:23 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Miguel Cabrera and Marcus Thames hit two-run homers in a six-run fourth inning to power the surging Detroit Tigers to a 12-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday in the second of a three-game interleague series.

Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco added RBI triples in the fourth as the Tigers extended their winning streak to five games in which they have outscored the opposition, 30-13.

"We're doing a little bit better, obviously," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "People are in pretty good spirits."

Finally living up to the preseason hype surrounding its offense, Detroit teed off on Dodgers ace Brad Penny, rocking him for seven hits and seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Penny (5-9) endured his seventh consecutive defeat, including losses in his last five decisions, with his shortest outing of the season.

The burly righthander, who has not won since May 2, revealed after the game that he was pitching with "discomfort" in his shoulder. He will fly back to Los Angeles to undergo an MRI exam Sunday.

"In the bullpen today, I knew I probably shouldn't have went out there," Penny said. "But that would have out the team in a horrible position (short bullpen)."

Penny said he has been battling a sore shoulder all season and had been taking pain medication before each start since early in the season.

"I'm not doing the team any good and I'm not doing myself any good," he said. "I've got to get out and see what's going on."

The offensive onslaught made a winner out of Detroit's Eddie Bonine. Making his major league debut, Bonine (1-0) struggled, allowing six runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out two and did not walk a batter.

"It was fun. The guys picked me up with a lot of runs today," Bonine said. "I'll have to improve on that outing and get better. (I was) very nervous, but it went away pretty quick."

"I was impressed with Bonine," Leyland said. "He did a great job, threw the ball over the plate. I liked him. He had a good ballgame."

Andre Ethier had a two-run homer and two-run double, but it was not enough to prevent Los Angeles from tumbling to its fourth straight defeat.

"We hit the ball pretty good today," Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp said. "They just hit the ball better than us. They scored more runs."

The Dodgers took a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning when Ethier ripped a two-run, ground-rule double and scored on Delwyn Young's single.

The Tigers responded by battering Penny in the bottom of the frame. With Magglio Ordonez aboard, Cabrera smacked his 10th homer of the season to whittle the deficit to 4-3.

Thames added a two-run blast - his ninth - with two out to give Detroit the lead for good before Granderson's run-scoring tripled chased Penny in favor of Scott Proctor.

"Marcus is a two-run homer, three-run homer waiting to happen," Leyland said of Thames. "He might strike out, but he might hit you a bomb too. He's pretty good at that."

Polanco greeted Proctor with another RBI triple, extending the margin to 7-4. Detroit extended it to 10-4 with three runs in the fifth, including run-scoring singles from Jeff Larish and Ivan Rodriguez.