The Detroit Tigers definitely helped themselves in the race for the AL Central on Saturday, besting the Minnesota Twins in a dominant 8-0 shutout.
Of course, the Twins have been out of the playoff race for some time, but with another five games to play against Minnesota this season, establishing dominance can only help them ensure they snatch the division from the Chicago White Sox at the last minute.
Miguel Cabrera hit his 42nd home run of the season, tying him with Josh Hamilton for the AL lead. He now has 131 RBIs and a .332 batting average, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Detroit set the tone of the game with their first batter, as Austin Jackson hit a leadoff home run. Delmon Young slammed a three-run homer in the third inning and that was all Doug Fister needed to notch his first career shutout.
Samuel Deduno was the starter for Minnesota, and he finished with seven earned runs allowed and three walks. He gave up two home runs and was pulled in the third inning (in which five runs were allowed). Anthony Swarzak allowed the other earned run on the day, but it wasn't necessary at all. Fister lasted a full nine innings with seven hits allowed.
Detroit and Minnesota have a double header on Sunday.
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