Tigers keep it close, but lose late against Twins

DETROIT -- The Tigers were eliminated from postseason contention a while ago. The games they’ve been playing so far in September remain meaningful. The way they keep playing the Twins tough -- despite Monday’s 4-3 loss at Comerica Park -- they’re becoming a sneaky factor in the American League Central race.

As Jake Rogers laid down a fifth-inning sacrifice bunt to advance Jordy Mercer to third base with the go-ahead run, Detroit didn’t look like a team playing out the schedule on Labor Day. When Victor Reyes followed with a sacrifice fly, the Tigers had a lead with a chance at a series split against the division leaders and a potential opening for the Cleveland Indians to close ground.

• Box score

When a walk and two singles loaded the bases for the Twins in the eighth inning, manager Ron Gardenhire went to long reliever Matt Hall for the lefty-lefty matchup with Max Kepler, whose line-drive single to left put Minnesota in front for good.

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For the Twins, it was a sigh of relief on their way out of town. For the Tigers, it was a test in tight situations.

“We did a lot of good things today,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Just offensively, we didn’t add on, and it ended up costing us a ballgame.”

One of the good things was a piece of history. Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homer in the first inning for the 475th of his career, tying Stan Musial and Willie Stargell for 31st place on MLB's career list.

While the Tigers have struggled mightily against Cleveland this year, losing 15 of 16, they’ve been a tougher matchup for the Twins, taking five games. The difference is a big reason why the Indians continue to hang in the division race. When the Tigers outslugged the Twins for a 10-7 win Saturday, it was an opportunity missed for Minnesota on a night when the Twins hit six home runs.

On Monday, Ehire Adrianza’s two-run homer was the lone scoring against Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann, who left after six innings in position for what would’ve been his first win at Comerica Park since Aug. 21 of last year. Three consecutive singles in the fifth propelled Detroit’s rally ahead of Rogers’ sacrifice bunt.

The Tigers had two chances to break the game open, including runners at second and third with one out in the bottom of the sixth. But righty strikeout specialist Tyler Duffey coaxed Dawel Lugo into chasing a slider before freezing Mercer with a fastball. Reyes’ two-out double an inning later set up another scoring chance, but his attempt to score from there on Willi Castro’s infield single was thwarted by Willians Astudillo’s tag at the plate.

After Gregory Soto scattered two singles in a scoreless seventh inning, the Tigers turned to Buck Farmer, whose leadoff walk to LaMonte Wade Jr. and ensuing single to Luis Arraez put him in immediate trouble. Farmer regrouped to strike out C.J. Cron and Jake Cave before Adrianza hit a ground ball up the middle that Castro stopped but couldn’t grab in time for an out anywhere.

“We had a chance to make a play and get out of the inning,” Gardenhire said. “If we make that play, we’re OK.”

Hall has been a long reliever and piggyback starter for most of his Tiger tenure. His lefty-lefty matchup wasn’t easy against Kepler, who entered the day hitting .293 (41-for-140) off southpaws. Kepler fouled off a 1-0 fastball over the plate but didn’t miss a 2-1 heater on the outer half of the plate, sending it to the opposite field.

The Tigers had one right-hander besides Jimenez, but just-promoted Bryan Garcia had yet to make his Major League debut. He ended up pitching the ninth to keep the Tigers within a run.

“We had [Hall] and [fellow lefty Nick] Ramirez left out there that we were going to use today, and then [closer Joe] Jimenez if we get the chance,” said Gardenhire. “We didn’t get the chance.”