Davis’ 13th-inning sac fly gives Tigers 8-7 win over Rays
DETROIT (AP) — Rajai Davis’ sacrifice fly in the 13th inning gave the Detroit Tigers an 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.
The game was tied four times, the last at 7-7, before the Tigers finally put it away.
James McCann led off the 13th with an infield single, and Andrew Bellatti (0-1) couldn’t pick up Jefry Marte’s bunt attempt, putting runners on first and second. Andrew Romine laid down a successful bunt putting runners at second and third.
Davis hit a fly ball to shallow left-center, but McCann broke for the plate and Grady Sizemore’s throw home was weak and offline.
Kyle Ryan (2-3) picked up the win.
Davis was involved in four replay challenges in the game, including two in the 11th inning without a pitch being thrown in between. He reached on an infield single, where the original call was overturned, then was nearly picked off, with the safe call standing. He also homered — his third in two days.
J.D. Martinez put the Tigers up 7-6 with an eighth-inning homer, but closer Bruce Rondon started the ninth by walking Kevin Kiermeier, and James Loney hit a pinch-hit single.
With one out, Rondon walked Daniel Nava to load the bases, and Evan Longoria lifted a routine fly ball to deep left. Davis dropped the ball, allowing Kiermaier to score the tying run.
The teams combined to use 29 position players and 16 pitchers, 10 for Detroit, matching the franchise record set in 1998.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the third on Davis’ third homer in two games. Coming the day after his second career two-homer game, it was only the second time Davis had homered in consecutive games.
Tampa Bay tied it in the fourth when Mikie Mahtook tripled over Martinez’s head in right and scored on Longoria’s sacrifice fly.
The Rays went ahead in the sixth. Kiermeier started the inning with a walk, and took third on J.P. Arenciba’s single. Al Alburquerque replaced Matt Boyd and gave up RBI singles to Sizemore, Longoria and Logan Forsythe.
Alburquerque balked to move Longoria and Forsythe to second and third with one out, and Tim Beckham added an RBI single off Tom Gorzelanny to give the Rays a 5-1 lead.
The Tigers loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning, and Matt Andriese replaced Ramirez to face Martinez. He fouled off three two-strike pitches before drawing a walk.
Alex Colome came in to strike out Nick Castellanos, but then hit McCann in the head with an 89 mph fastball. The ball hit McCann squarely on the helmet, above the left temple, but he simply trotted to first, pulling the Tigers within 5-3.
After Colome struck out Tyler Collins, Andrew Romine hit a single to left, making it 5-4, but Martinez ran through third base coach Dave Clark’s stop sign, then froze. Instead of throwing home, Longoria went after McCann, and Martinez was able to score before the tag.
Tampa regained the lead on Nava’s RBI single in the seventh, but Anthony Gose singled with one out in bottom of the inning, took third on consecutive wild pitches by Colome and scored when Rene Rivera threw wildly to third on the second one.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: OF Steven Souza (left hand fracture) played five innings for Triple-A Durham, going for 0 for 2 with a HBP, and will now move his rehab assignment to High-A Charlotte as they play in the Gulf Coast League playoffs.
Tigers: DH Victor Martinez missed his second straight game with a respiratory illness. His status for Wednesday night is unknown. . LHP Daniel Norris (oblique) and RHP Anibal Sanchez (rotator cuff) are both on pace to pitch in a simulated game Saturday.
UP NEXT
The teams finish the three-game series Wednesday night, with Jake Odorizzi (6-8, 3.35) facing Detroit’s Kyle Lobstein (3-6, 5.02). Lobstein will be making his second start after missing more than three months with a shoulder injury.