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Rangers avoid sweep, beat Tigers

Aug 4, 2011 - 11:11 PM Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Michael Young had two hits, including an RBI triple, and the Rangers beat the Tigers 5-2 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz also had two hits while Alexi Ogando pitched 6 1/3 innings to beat Detroit for the third time this season, helping Texas snap a three-game losing streak.

Ogando (11-5) came out after giving up back-to-back RBI singles to Wilson Betemit and Ryan Raburn in the seventh inning, but Darren Oliver and new acquisition Koji Uehara pitched the Rangers out of trouble.

Four of the eight hits Ogando allowed came in the seventh. The 27-year-old right-hander snapped a personal two-game losing streak, throwing 69 of his 97 pitches for strikes and reaching the high 90s with his fastball.

"He was just too good for us today," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland.

Detroit starter Brad Penny (7-9) took the loss after giving up five runs -- four earned -- on 11 hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings. The 33-year-old righty has lost three straight starts and fell to 1-4 lifetime against the Rangers.

"My line was a lot worse than I threw today," said Penny. "We want to win every game, but we did beat a good team two out of three."

Young's triple in the seventh inning was the only extra-base hit out of 20 combined hits for both teams -- 11 for the Rangers and nine for the Tigers.

It was a doozy.

Young knocked the ball into the right field corner to score Hamilton from first base for a 5-0 lead. The hit bounced in front of the wall, but Raburn couldn't immediately find it.

Bizarrely, the right fielder backed away from the wall casually and appeared to think the ball had bounced over it, allowing Young to make it all the way to third on the play.

Ogando gave up four singles in the seventh before he was yanked. He moved to 3-0 versus the Tigers this season after also beating them on April 11 and June 8. He has allowed just three runs in 21 innings in the three starts.

Detroit, which had won each of the first two games of the series by one run, had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Cruz singled to lead off the second inning and later scored from second base when the Tigers caught Mike Napoli in a rundown between first and second for a double play. Cruz sprinted home and catcher Victor Martinez dropped Don Kelly's throw home for an error.

Texas' three-run rally in the fourth was a little neater. It was sparked by four straight singles to lead off in the inning by Young, Cruz, Napoli and Mitch Moreland. Young scored on Napoli's hit, Napoli came home on Endy Chavez's sacrifice fly and Ian Kinsler delivered an RBI single that plated Moreland.

Game Notes

Detroit won the season series with Texas, 6-3...The Tigers finished 4-3 on a seven-game homestand that also included a testy four-game series with the Angels. They are headed out on a nine-game road trip starting Friday in Kansas City...The Rangers went 2-4 on a six-game road trip and are headed home for six games starting Friday against the Cleveland Indians.