A three-run eighth inning sparked by Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder gave the Detroit Tigers a 5-2 over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday afternoon.
Cabrera led off the bottom of the eighth with a double off the wall between right and center field. Next up was Fielder, who scored Cabrera with a single up the middle to give the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish.
A Jhonny Peralta sacrifice fly and Gerald Laird RBI single pushed the lead to 5-2 by the end of the inning.
Jose Valverde came in for the ninth and closed the door on the Rays with a perfect inning for his first save.
The scoring outburst in the eighth inning ended what had been a pitcher's duel for most of the afternoon. Detroit starter Rick Porcello gave up two runs over seven innings, while Matt Moore allowed two runs over six-and-two-thirds innings for Tampa Bay.
While both starters pitched well, it was Detroit reliever Phil Coke who picked up the win after throwing a scoreless eighth. Rays reliever Jake McGee, who surrendered two of those three eighth inning runs, got the loss.
The two teams will be back at it again tomorrow afternoon as Justin Verlander and James Shields take the hill. Both will be looking for their first win.
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