• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Polanco, Casey lift Tigers over Orioles

May 2, 2007 - 3:56 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Detroit Tigers picked up their third win in a row with a little help from the American League's hottest second baseman.

Placido Polanco had four hits and drove in a pair and Sean Casey broke an eighth-inning tie with a pinch-hit single to lead the Tigers to a 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.

Polanco's four hits lifted his average to .376 - tops among AL second baseman. It marked his 14th multi-hit game already this season.

Casey, who started the game on the bench after sitting out the past two contests with the flu, came up against Orioles reliever Danys Baez (0-1) with runners on first and second and singled to left to break the tie.

"It was just what the doctor ordered, believe me," Casey said. "I kind of struggled through the first month of April and hope it's a good sign for me in May."

After Casey and Curtis Granderson executed a double steal, Polanco hit an infield single, scoring Granderson with an insurance run that the Tigers ended up needing.

"The leadoff walk (to Carlos Guillen, who scored on Casey's hit) was the biggest part of the inning," Baez said. "It's just something that you can't control. After the walk, I made my pitches and they hit it on the ground but they got through the hole.

"You just have to prepare for tomorrow."

Baltimore scored a run in the ninth off Detroit closer Todd Jones, who got Aubrey Huff to pop to the shortstop with a runner on third to end the game. It was Jones' ninth save in 11 opportunities.

Four Tigers' relievers combined to allow two runs in 5 1/3 innings, with Joel Zumaya (1-1) earning the win with a scoreless seventh and eighth.

"I showed a little bit, I think I'm over my his struggles," Zumaya said. "Just a matter of trying to regain my confidence. I just came out, tried to work downhill and throw strikes."

Monday night's game was marred by a benches-clearing brawl in the fifth inning after Jeremy Bonderman nearly hit Miguel Tejada in the leg with a fastball. Tejada pointed his bat out at Bonderman and began shouting, leading to the benches emptying and some pushing and shoving.

Tiger's slugger Gary Sheffield took exception to being hit in the back earlier in the game by Baltimore starter Daniel Cabrera, and the two exchanged some heated words. Sheffield got the last laugh, hammering a fastball into the left field seats in the sixth to give the Tigers the lead.

No such fireworks took place in Tuesday's contest, as the normally wild Adam Loewen, who had hit Sheffield when the teams met in Baltimore on April 11, started for the Orioles and threw 56 of his 85 pitches for strikes. The 23-year-old lefthander entered the contest having surrendered 24 walks in 25 1/3 innings this season.

"He pitched pretty good," Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez said. "He was very aggressive and tried to hit his spots. He made one mistake to (Craig) Monroe, but otherwise threw good."

The Orioles opened the scoring in the top of the third off Tigers starter Chad Durbin. Melvin Mora took a flat changeup and deposited it into the left field seats for a solo homer - his fifth of the year.

"We had chances to put them away early," Orioles manger Sam Perlozzo said. "But we couldn't do it. We had to battle them all night.

"We need someone to come in and get the big hit to extend the lead. That's something we haven't been able to do all season."

Nick Markakis followed with a walk and advanced to second on Tejada's single. Both runners moved up on Huff's groundout, and Markakis scored on Ramon Hernandez's groundout.

Durbin was removed in the top of the fourth after yielding back-to-back two-out walks. He issued six walks in just 3 2/3 innings. It was the righthander's shortest outing of the season and came on the heels of his best effort, when he picked up his first win of the season last Wednesday with eight shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox.

Detroit got their starter off the hook with a three-run bottom of the fifth. Ivan Rodriguez led off with a double and scored on Polanco's RBI single. Monroe followed with a two-run blast.

Loewen was replaced by lefthander Jamie Walker to open the sixth frame. Loewen allowed seven hits and walked two while striking out four.