Tigers 7, Rangers 5
Delmon Young homered twice and Miguel Cabrera’s double off the third-base bag plated the go-ahead run as Detroit remained alive in the American League Championship Series with a 7-5 victory in Game 5 over the visiting Texas Rangers on Thursday.
Alex Avila and Ryan Raburn also homered and Justin Verlander pitched 7 1/3 innings as Detroit pulled within 3-2 in the best-of-7 series. Game 6 is Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
With closer Jose Valverde unavailable, left-hander Phil Coke recorded the final five outs, allowing a run-scoring single in the ninth to Michael Young before retiring Mike Napoli on a grounder with two on to end it.
Raburn singled to lead off the Detroit sixth and Cabrera followed with a grounder that hit the front of the third-base bag and bounded high over the head of Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre and down the left-field line. Raburn scored easily to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
Victor Martinez followed with a triple to right and Young hit a two-run smash over the left-center field fence off C.J. Wilson (0-1) to give Detroit a four-run advantage.
Raburn homered in the seventh to make it 7-2.
Cruz hit his fifth homer of the series in the eighth for Texas, a two-run shot that ended Verlander’s stint.
Verlander (1-1) gave up four runs and eight hits. He struck out eight and walked three.
Josh Hamilton drove in the first two Texas runs with a sacrifice fly in the first and a single to left-center in the fifth.
Wilson allowed six runs and eight hits in six innings.