Tigers vs. Athletics final score: Oakland stays alive with 2-0 victory

The Oakland A's defeated the Detroit Tigers 2-0 on Tuesday night, pushing the division series between the two teams to a fourth game.

Oakland's pitching staff stymied Detroit's hitters for much of the night, allowing only four hits and two walks. The A's put up single runs in only the first and fifth innings, but it was more than enough.

That first run came when Yoenis Cespedes singled home Coco Crisp in the bottom of the first off Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez. Sanchez gave up another run in the bottom of the fifth when Seth Smith blasted a homer to centerfield, but he was solid throughout the night, allowing five hits and those two runs across 6⅓ innings.

A's starter Brett Anderson was better, though, striking out six over six innings while allowing just two hits. The A's bullpen cleaned things up from there, with Grant Balfour inducing Prince Fielder into a game-ending double play to pick up his first save of the playoffs.

The teams will be back on the field on Wednesday at 9:37 p.m. ET.