| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
DETROIT (AP) -- It took Juan Gonzalez just one swing to turn
jeers to cheers.
Gonzalez, booed heavily earlier in the game, hit a two-run homer
in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Detroit Tigers sent the
Cleveland Indians to their sixth straight loss, 8-6 Saturday.
|  | | Tigers players mob Juan Gonzalez after his game-winning two-run homer. |
Gonzalez began the day batting .266 with just 24 RBI, a low
total for one of baseball's top sluggers. Playing his first year
with the Tigers, he has already been mentioned in trade rumors.
That talk went on the back burner after Gonzalez gave the Tigers
their fourth win in five games against the Indians at Comerica
Park.
"I've had a lot of big moments before, but here it's an
exciting moment," Gonzalez said. "It was an exciting moment not
only for me but for everyone. I'm trying to help us win ballgames.
I'm only human. I've never put my head down and I've never quit."
The Tigers mobbed Gonzalez as he arrived at the plate as a
record Comerica Park crowd of 39,569 cheered loudly.
"He's had a tough couple of months for him," teammate Brad
Ausmus said. "He hasn't hit like he usually does and he gets booed
for it. It was nice for him to put on a positive exclamation point
in front of the home fans."
Bobby Higginson drew a one-out walk in the ninth off Steve
Karsay (0-4). Gonzalez, who earlier hit an RBI single, drove a 1-1
pitch into the left-field seats for his 12th home run of the season
and second of the series.
"To be able to walk off with a win like that and have the big
guy do it, that was a big win for us," Detroit's Damion Easley
said. "We all know it hasn't been easy on him, but we know he's
giving it everything he's got."
Higginson and Wendell Magee also hit two-run homers for the
Tigers, who rallied from 4-0 and 6-3 deficits.
"We felt like we were going to win the ballgame and I felt like
Gonzalez was going to win it for us," Tigers manager Phil Garner
said.
Russell Branyan hit his first career grand slam to give the
Indians a 4-0 lead in the fourth, and Roberto Alomar's two-run
homer made it 6-3 in the fifth.
The six-game losing streak matches the Indians' longest of the
season.
"I thought we were really up and into the game. Things just
didn't go our way again," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said.
"That's what happens sometimes when you lose and you're not
playing good; things aren't going your way.
"It seems like everything you do or try doesn't work. It's kind
of where we are right now."
The Indians started the day 6½ games behind first-place
Chicago in the AL Central.
"We're trying to feel that feeling again," Cleveland's Sandy
Alomar said. "In six days we haven't won a game. Yeah we have a
lot of injuries, but we were winning with those injuries, too.
"We've still got to win some games to stay in the race.
Otherwise, by the time everyone gets healthy, we'll probably be so
far behind it'll be impossible to come back."
Doug Brocail (3-3) worked one perfect inning after C.J.
Nitkowski pitched 4 2/3 innings of perfect relief with five
strikeouts.
"Our bullpen did a great job getting us back to the dugout and
keeping the energy going," Higginson said.
The Tigers trailed 6-3 when Higginson's shot finished Indians
starter Chuck Finley in the seventh.
Steve Reed came on and fanned Gonzalez to end the inning, but
exited after a one-out walk to pinch-hitter Rich Becker and a
pinch-hit single by Robert Fick in the eighth. Tony Clark followed
with a tying RBI double down the left-field line.
Branyan was 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in the series before
his grand slam off Hideo Nomo in the fourth. Seven of Branyan's 10
hits since his May 30 recall from Triple-A Buffalo have been home
runs.
Neither team had a hit until Omar Vizquel's leadoff single in
the fourth, then two walks loaded the bases with two out. Branyan
worked the count full by taking a couple of very close pitches that
were called balls before he homered over the bullpens in right.
The Tigers got three back in the home half, starting with
Gonzalez's RBI single after Higginson doubled. After a forceout,
Magee hit his fourth homer to left.
Vizquel singled again in the fifth before Alomar hit his ninth
home run, giving the Indians a 6-3 lead.
Game notes
Of the 21 runs scored in the first two games of this
series, 19 have come on 10 homers. Branyan's grand slam was the
Indians' third of the season and the third allowed by the Tigers.
... The loss left Cleveland 8-12 against AL Central rivals. ...
There have been 45 home runs hit in the last 17 games at Comerica
Park. Only 19 were hit in the first 16 games at the Tigers' new
home.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
RECAPS
Detroit 8
Cleveland 6
Texas 5
Tampa Bay 0
Chi. White Sox 10
NY Yankees 9
Toronto 11
Boston 10
Anaheim 8
Baltimore 3
Seattle 12
Minnesota 3
Oakland 10
Kansas City 4
Chicago Cubs 1
Montreal 0
San Francisco 6
Houston 4
St. Louis 4
Los Angeles 3
San Diego 3
Cincinnati 1
Florida 4
Pittsburgh 3
Philadelphia 9
Atlanta 3
Colorado 14
Arizona 5
Milwaukee 3
NY Mets 2
|
