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Cabrera drives home winner to help Tigers edge Rangers

Apr 12, 2011 - 10:58 PM Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Miguel Cabrera's single with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning lifted Detroit to a 5-4 win over Texas in the second of a three-game set at Comerica Park.

Cabrera also doubled and Ryan Raburn went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk for Detroit, which snapped a three-game slide. Ramon Santiago, Victor Martinez and Brennan Boesch each drove in a run in the victory.

Brad Penny started and allowed three runs on seven hits, one walk and struck out two in 6 2/3 innings, but did not factor in the decision.

Michael Young went 3-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice for the Rangers, who had won three in a row and nine of 10 to start the season.

Josh Hamilton, serving as the designated hitter, drove in a run with a triple, but left after only one at-bat with a strained right shoulder after trying to score on an infield pop out in foul territory in the first inning. He was apparently hurt when he tried to elude a tag on a head-first slide at the plate.

"Definitely shouldn't have done it there," Hamilton said about his attempt to score. "That was a little too aggressive."

C.J. Wilson got the starting nod for Texas and pitched to a no-decision. The left-hander yielded four runs on seven hits and three walks in 6 2/3 frames. He finished with four strikeouts.

Tied at 4-4, Jose Valverde (1-0) came in for the top of the ninth and allowed the leadoff hitter to reach with a single, but the closer settled down to get the next batter, before Julio Borbon grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Brandon Inge greeted Darren O'Day (0-1) with a base hit leading off the home half and advanced to second on a bunt by Alex Avila. Austin Jackson drew a walk, Santiago went down on strikes and Raburn walked to load the bases. Cabrera then stepped in and grounded a 2-1 sinker through the left side to score the winning run.

"He's a good hitter. He's a good player. He had a great at-bat there," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said about Cabrera. "That's the guy we wanted up there obviously and he came through like he does a lot of times."

Hamilton's first-inning, run-scoring triple gave Texas the early lead before getting thrown out at home while attempting to score on Adrian Beltre's foul pop.

Santiago's RBI ground ball in the home half tied things, but the Rangers went back in front in the third.

Mitch Moreland doubled, took second on a bunt and scored on a deep sacrifice fly by Young, making it a 2-1 game. Martinez pulled the Tigers even in the fourth with a sac fly.

Beltre's run-scoring grounder in the sixth gave the Rangers a brief lead, but Detroit answered with a pair in the bottom half to go in front, 4-3.

Raburn's double to left scored Santiago, who led off with a single. Then later in the inning and two down, Boesch singled up the middle to bring in another.

Penny and Brayan Villarreal combined to work a scoreless seventh, but Texas tied it in the eighth when Nelson Cruz laced an RBI single to center.

Game Notes

Texas took six of nine from the Tigers last season...Detroit went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine, while the Rangers finished 1-for-7 with RISP and left five.