Redemption Rally: Tigers 6, Cubs 5

This one didn't go to 11.  Armando Galarraga's winless streak, that is. 

After 10 straight starts without earning a win, Galarraga finally got himself a "W."  It wasn't pretty, as he fell behind 3-0 in the first inning, thanks to a fastball right down the middle that Jake Fox blasted out for his first major league home run.  Overall, Galarraga allowed four runs for the fifth time in his last seven outings. 

And if the Tigers' offense hadn't rediscovered itself over the past week, he probably would've taken yet another loss.  But things are a bit different these days. 

Even Magglio Ordonez hit for extra bases today.  Maybe that's a bit of an understatement.  Free of those thick, curly locks weighing him down, Maggs unleashed that whip-like swing we hadn't seen in so long, turning on a ball and pulling it over the left field wall for a two-run homer that gave the Tigers the lead for good.  You know it's going well when a team gets some power from its #7 hitter.  (Was that a low blow?  We should be past that.) 

An RBI single by Ryan Raburn (who hit 3-for-4 today) in the fifth inning gave Detroit an insurance run, and they needed that padding when Fernando Rodney had another adventurous save opportunity.  (Although, really, the Tigers should've already had another run on the board when Miguel Cabrera's first-inning home run was ruled a double.  Replay clearly showed that the ball hit the railing above the yellow line on the right-center field wall.  But second base umpire Tim McClelland never called for a replay, and no one from the Tigers' coaching staff raised a protest.)

Rodney made the game a little closer than it had to be when he left a fastball out over the plate for Micah Hoffpauir to smack for an opposite field homer.  But I suppose that two-run lead gave him a little bit of room to breathe.  Rodney threw 20 pitches for the second straight outing, which probably means he won't be available for tomorrow night's game in Houston.  But he nabbed his 16th save in as many opportunities, closing out the Tigers' seventh straight win.

Roar:

Ramon Santiago got the rally started in the third inning, with a two-run homer that got the Tigers right back into the game.  Up until that point, it looked like it was going to be a long afternoon at Comerica Park.  Santiago had a 2-for-3 day, adding some slick defense at second base.

Comment of the Day:

Remember that at-bat Ordonez had a home run?

Good times.

by MackAveKurt

And your runner-up.  Careful, you'll break an ankle jumping off like that.  (Kudos also to Flying J for being the diligent gatekeeper of Rally Megan Fox today.)