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Polanco helps Tigers push winning streak to four games

Sep 9, 2007 - 4:05 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Detroit Tigers are starting to find their stride.

Placido Polanco drove in a season-high four runs and Brandon Inge homered as the Tigers posted a 12-6 triumph over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

Detroit (77-65) has won four straight games but still remain five games behind the first-place Cleveland Indians (82-60) in the American League Central standings.

"It's been one of the things," Detroit center fielder Curtis Granderson said. "We've got to get back to the form we were at in the beginning of the season. Once we get all the pieces in the lineup, everyone tends to feed off everyone so 1 through 9, you can go ahead and get the big hit as you saw again."

After watching their advantage erased twice, the Tigers scored three times in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the lead for good. Inge's two-run blast - his 14th - snapped a 5-5 tie and chased starter Jeff Weaver (6-12).

"Inge was able to come up with a big home run in the middle of the ballgame," Granderson said. "The middle of the lineup plus the top of the lineup were able to go ahead and do their part."

"This was another tough game," Mariners manager John McLaren said. "We just didn't get any breaks. The guys played hard and we battled back, but we couldn't hold them."

Seattle's Sean Green struck out Granderson, but Polanco singled, took second and third on a wild pitch before coming home on Magglio Ordonez's RBI single for an 8-5 edge.

Polanco drove in three more runs in the next inning, when the All-Star slapped reliever Sean White's first pitch down the third base line to clear the bags to make it 11-6.

"We just kept sparring with each other," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We traded runs. Finally we shut them down and added some on. Good win for us."

Detroit's Zach Miner (3-3) went 2 1/3 innings for the win, giving up one run and three hits.

"We're playing good right now and that's what we've got to do," said Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who homered in the eighth. "Especially at this time of the season. We've got to just take one game at a time and just come back again (Sunday) with the same attitude and try to win, too."

Tigers starter Nate Robertson stumbled through 4 2/3 frames, allowing five runs and seven hits to remain winless since August 12.

Ordonez drove in two runs and Timo Perez also had two RBI for Detroit, which remained three games behind the New York Yankees (80-62) in the AL wild card chase. Seattle (74-66) is five games behind the Yankees.

Perez has been stellar of late, collecting 12 hits in seven games this month.

"He's doing great," Rodriguez said. "We know Timo. Timo is a veteran player. He's been around a lot and he's always hit. He's a good hitter and he's doing a great job. We need him right now. He's doing a tremendous job."

Weaver was hammered for seven runs and nine hits in five-plus innings for his second straight setback. The righthander fell to 1-5 against the Tigers, who drafted him 14th overall in 1998.

"I wanted to be the stopper," Weaver said. "But they just singled me to death. I was too agressive with my pitches and I couldn't expand the zone. They took advantage of those mistakes."

"It was good to come back to where it all started (Detroit)," he added. "There are some very good people here. I wish I could have put on a better show for them."

Adrian Beltre and Yuniesky Betancourt both homered for Seattle (74-66), which has dropped four straight games to fall five behind the Yankees in the wild card hunt