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Alex Avila’s controversial two-out RBI double in the eighth inning gave the Tigers a 6-5 Memorial Day wins over the Twins at Comerica Park.
With the game tied at five and Jhonny Peralta on first, Avila ripped a shot down the left-field line that appeared to be touched by a fan prior to bouncing in and out of the stands. The umpires originally ruled the play a ground-rule double, stopping Peralta at third.
But after Jim Leyland came out to argue the call, the umps reversed their decision, allowing Peralta to cross home with the game-winning run in a 6-5 victory.
Al Alberquerque picked up the win in relief — starter Brad Penny struggled after being handed a 3-0 lead — and Jose Valverde locked down another save.
Tigers’ MVP: Despite Avila’s heroics, Victor Martinez gets the nod here. Martinez bombed a two-run homer off Twins starter Nick Blackburn to erase a 5-3 Minnesota lead in the sixth.
Tigers’ Goat: Penny. He gave the Tigers six innings, but a four-run Twins fifth ruined the day for Penny, who gave up a total of five runs and 10 hits. Honorable mention in this category to Austin Jackson and Casper Wells, who took back-to-back called third strikes after the Tigers loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh.
Where Detroit’s At: 27-26 and back above .500, though the question with this team is how long that will last. The streaky Tigers have now won two straight.
What’s Next: Detroit and Minnesota play under the lights Tuesday night, with Max Scherzer looking to get back on track against southpaw Brian Duensing.
