Tigers 2, Rays 1 (10)
Ramon Santiago tripled home Victor Martinez in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 2-1 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays Monday night.
Martinez singled off losing pitcher Kyle Farnsworth (2-1) with one out and Santiago followed with a line drive into the right-center field gap. Farnsworth had gone nine outings without allowing a run.
David Purcey (1-0) earned his first win as a Tiger by pitching the 10th.
A Martinez RBI single in the fifth gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Tampa Bay tied it in the eighth off former Rays’ reliever Joaquin Benoit with three straight singles and Justin Ruggiano’s sacrifice fly. Ruggiano also had two hits.
Johnny Damon had two singles to reach base for the 38th straight game, breaking the Tampa Bay franchise record set by Ben Grieve in 2001. It’s also the longest streak in the major leagues this season.
Rays manager Joe Maddon was ejected in the middle of the seventh inning by home plate umpire John Tumpane after arguing a play at the plate. Replays showed Ruggiano appeared to score on a sacrifice fly, but he was called out to end the inning. It was Maddon’s third ejection in 2011.
Tampa Bay finished 6-5 on its season-high 11-game, 12-day road trip.