Angels Win in 10, Tigers Lead to 4.5
In what can only be described as a collapse, the Tigers lost their 10th game in their last 15 at the hands of the Angels Saturday Night.
The game was scoreless through 7 innings until the Angels Juan Rivera drove in a run with an RBI single in the top of the eighth to put Anaheim on top.
Their lead didn’t last long however when Detroit answered in the bottom of the eighth with a single from Marcus Thames that drove in two runs and put Detroit on top 2-1. The Tigers were one out away from winning in the ninth, but Izturis reached base on a throwing error by Guillen and moved to second on an infield single by Cabrera. Vlad Guerrero hit an RBI single to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
It was all downhill from there for the Tigers. Juan Rivera started the inning by reaching base on a throwing error by Tigers shortstop Neifi Perez, who had entered the game in the 9th after Carlos Guillen pulled a hamstring running the bases. Darin Erstad sacrificed Rivera to second, and Jones intentionally walked Adam Kennedy.
Jeff Mathis then blooped a single to center to load the bases, and Figgins broke an 0-for-18 slump with a liner into the right-center field gap which resulted in a triple. The Angels scored 5 runs in the 10th and the Tigers couldn’t answer.
Todd Jones (2-6) was charged with four runs, two earned, and four hits in 1 1/3 innings for the Tigers.
The Angels pulled within 7½ games of AL West-leading Oakland with the victory.
