Tigers Belt Four HRs, Prevent Dodgers Sweep
LOS ANGELES -- Casper Wells opened the game with one of four home runs by Detroit and defensive replacement Austin Jackson made an over-the-shoulder catch on Dioner Navarro's bases-loaded drive for the final out, sending the Tigers past the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 Wednesday.
Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez also homered. So did Don Kelly, who connected as a pinch-hitter for Ordonez in the eighth inning. It was the second time this season the Tigers hit four homers in a game, including a 13-7 win at Texas on June 6.
Jose Valverde struck out pinch-hitter Casey Blake and retired Navarro on the fly ball for his 17th save in as many chances. Navarro also struck out with the bases loaded to end the fifth.
The loss snapped the Dodgers' three-game winning streak. They haven't won four in a row all season. They were trying to complete their first series sweep of the season and first interleague series sweep since 2006 against the Angels.
Al Albuquerque (4-1) got the victory in relief, striking out four and walking two in 2 1/3 innings.
Tigers starter Rick Porcello allowed nine hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings and was lifted with a 6-4 lead. He struck out two, walked one and was one out shy of the required number of innings for a victory. It was the second straight game in which he failed to go five.
Ted Lilly (5-7) gave up six hits and six runs in 4 2/3 innings, struck out eight and walked one.
It was the left-hander's second straight rough outing, having given up five earned runs and eight hits in a 7-3 loss to Houston last Friday.
Wells started Detroit's home run derby with his first career leadoff homer.
Ordonez hit a two-run shot into the left-field pavilion in the second, extending Detroit's lead to 3-2.
Cabrera's two-run homer with two outs in the third bounced off the top of the fence and carried over after a leaping attempt by right fielder Andre Ethier, increasing the margin to 5-2.
Detroit scored with two outs in the fifth on Victor Martinez's RBI single that made it 6-3.
The Dodgers closed to 6-5 in the fifth on Ethier's two-out RBI single against Porcello and James Loney's run-scoring single off Charlie Furbush. Albuquerque came in and walked Marcus Thames before striking out Navarro.
The Dodgers scored two runs in the first when Matt Kemp tripled home a run with two out and scored on Loney's single. They added a run in the fourth on Thames' RBI single.
Notes
The Tigers improved to 3-6 in interleague play this season, while the Dodgers fell to 3-3. ... Dodgers 2B Aaron Miles has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games. ... Both clubs wore throwback jerseys, with the Tigers donning ones from the 1944 season and the Dodgers wearing their 1940s-era, powder blue uniforms.
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