DETROIT (AP) -- Shane Halter, Luis Polonia and Rich Becker aren't exactly household names. Not even in Detroit.

Yet they're helping the resurgent Tigers climb ever closer to that elusive .500 mark.

All three had key hits and Dave Mlicki won his second straight decision as the Tigers beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 Monday night.

"I think the guys that have been filling in for the injured guys this season have been the unsung heroes," said Detroit manager Phil Garner, who has been without Tony Clark and Juan Gonzalez for almost two weeks. "All in all, we've gotten a lot out of our extra men. That's the kind of thing you like to see."

Mlicki (4-9), making his first start since July 4, gave up one run on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

"I think we're becoming a good team," Mlicki said. "I thought we were a good team when we started, but we got off to that awful start."

Detroit was 9-23 entering play May 23. Since then, the Tigers have gone 33-24. This win, their third straight, pulled them within five games of break-even at 42-47 -- the closest they've been since April.

"We thought we had a lot of talent," Mlicki said. "Now, it seems to be showing itself."

Mlicki, who pitched one inning of relief July 8, was relieved by C.J. Nitkowski with one out and runners at first and second in the seventh. Nitkowski got Ken Griffey Jr. on a liner to right and Dante Bichette on a grounder to end the threat.

Doug Brocail pitched the eighth, setting up Todd Jones for his 25th save in 26 opportunities.

Larry Luebbers (0-1), making his first appearance of the season, gave up three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

"Not having pitched in a couple of weeks, I had trouble getting the ball where I wanted to," said Luebbers, recalled July 12 after Denny Neagle was traded to the New York Yankees. "I was happy with my performance, but not the outcome of the game."

The Tigers took a 3-0 lead with four hits after two were out in the second.

Damion Easley reached on an infield single, stole second and scored the first run on Halter's RBI single. Polonia blooped a ball to short left and legged it into a double, then Becker stroked a two-run single to left.

"I felt the kid did a pretty good job tonight," Reds manager Jack McKeon said of Luebbers. "He got hurt with some bloop hits, a checked swing and an infield hit. They didn't really hit the ball that hard off of him."

The Reds made it 3-1 in the sixth when Bichette doubled to start the inning and scored on Dmitri Young's RBI single.

Easley had a one-out triple in the fourth, but Luebbers got Halter on a grounder and Polonia flied out to end the threat.

Dean Palmer, who hit a two-out triple in the fifth, was out at the plate trying to score when Luebbers uncorked a wild pitch with a 1-1 count on Deivi Cruz. Catcher Eddie Taubensee, who entered the game in the second after Benito Santiago experienced back spasms, chased the ball down near the Reds' on-deck circle and flipped it to Luebbers in plenty of time to nip Palmer.

"We played good enough to win. That counts," Garner said. "But we wanted to get those runs in from third. It was a case where we only got three runs, but our pitching made them stand up.

Game notes
Juan Encarnacion, running hard to his right in center field, stretched out full to make a spectacular diving catch that robbed Young leading off the Reds' second. ... The Reds gave Palmer an intentional walk to load the bases in the first and it paid off when Cruz grounded into an inning-ending double play. ... The Reds are the only major league team not to be shut out this season. ... Griffey Jr. was 0-for-4 and is 0-for-9 in this series to see his average fell to .238. He has left seven runners in scoring position, including three Monday night.