Tigers 6, Twins 4
DETROIT -- Rajai Davis hit a tie-breaking two-run home run on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the eighth inning Friday night to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 victory over Minnesota that stalled the Twins' drive for the second wild-card berth.
Minnesota entered play trailing Houston by 1 1/2 games for the No. 2 wild-card spot.
Third baseman Nick Castellanos got his third hit of the game and second double to lead off the eighth. Former closer left-hander Glen Perkins (2-5) struck out the next two batters before delivering a flat full-count slider that Davis drove the other way over the right-field wall for his eighth home run of the season to cap a Detroit comeback from a 4-0 deficit.
Right-hander Alex Wilson (3-3) earned the win for the Tigers by pitching a scoreless eighth. Right-hander Neftali Feliz earned his ninth save of the season, and his third with Detroit, for pitching the ninth.
Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez laced a two-run double to left-center to tie the score 4-4 in the seventh. Shortstop Dixon Machado started the rally with a one-out single. Center fielder Anthony Gose walked and second baseman Ian Kinsler hit a ground-rule RBI double to deep left-center that would have scored two had it not bounced over the fence.
Gose and Kinsler scored on Martinez's double, which followed an intentional walk to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.
Twins' starter right-hander Mike Pelfrey gave up six hits in his five innings but only allowed one run. Pelfrey struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.
Tigers left-hander Matt Boyd went six innings, walking four and striking out four, while allowing just one hit, a three-run triple.
Minnesota got just two hits in the game off four Detroit pitchers.
Detroit scored its first run in the fifth when doubled, stopped at third on a single to right by catcher James McCann and scored on a forceout by Machado. That cut Detroit's deficit to 4-1.
A brief interruption in play prior to the top of the fifth due to an incident in the stands may have unsettled Boyd because he walked the first two Minnesota batters he faced that inning, and it led to four runs.
A throwing error by Castellanos trying for a force at second left the bases loaded.
Left fielder Eddie Rosario tripled in three runs and then daringly scored on a popup into short right field by shortstop Eduardo Escobar that was caught by second baseman Kinsler. The throw home by Kinsler skipped under McCann's glove.
Two of the four runs were unearned.
NOTES: Minnesota re-instated RHP Ricky Nolasco (right ankle surgery) off the 60-day disabled list, replacing him on the disabled list with LHP Logan Darnell, who has pneumonia. Nolasco will work out of the bullpen. ... Detroit manager Brad Ausmus, on his possibly being fired when the season is over: "I'll worry about the future when the past is done. Hey, that sounds like a Yogi-ism." ... The Twins entered Friday's game 32-42 on the road but had won 11 of their last 16. ... Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera returned to the Tigers' lineup Friday after missing a game with a sore lower back.