To repeat a point made in our post-game thread last night, these are the types of games that make a baseball fan feel alive. 

Rick Porcello pitched well in his first start since serving his five-game suspension, locking himself in a duel with Felix Hernandez.  Kid Rick racked up a career-high eight strikeouts while holding the Mariners to one run and four hits in almost six innings of work. 

(Porcello also continued a baffling trend of allowing home runs to guys who don't normally hit them.  Josh Wilson hammered a change-up into the left-field bullpen in the sixth inning, joining Ronny Cedeno, Chone Figgins, and Ryan Langerhans as noted sluggers who have taken Kid Rick deep this season.)

But a win is so much sweeter when nearly lost, and this one was jeopardized in the eighth inning as Bobby Seay intentionally walked his way through the Mariners lineup for a presumably favorable lefty-on-lefty match-up.  Unfortunately for the Tigers, Seay failed in each of those instances, giving up a double to Ichiro Suzuki, a sacrifice fly to Ken Griffey, Jr., and a walk to Jack Hannahan.  Two Seattle runs scored, and it looked as if the Tigers would waste yet another strong pitching performance.

But the Mariners' bullpen gave the game right back, when Hernandez had to leave the game with a cramp in his hamstring.  Mark Lowe allowed a leadoff homer to Alex Avila (an impressive opposite-field shot, at that) igniting Detroit's comeback chances.  Four of the next five Tigers batters reached base (aided by an error from Wilson at shortstop), the most important being Miguel Cabrera, whose single up the middle drove in the tying and go-ahead runs.

Cabrera also contributed to an insurance run in a rather unconventional fashion.  It appeared as if he'd been picked off first base for the final out of the inning.  But while he was caught in a rundown between first and second, Ryan Raburn (pinch-running for Carlos Guillen) took advantage of the distraction and scored from third.

Yes, the guy who most people figured was ticketed for Triple-A Toledo when Aubrey Huff was acquired from Baltimore on Monday stole home plate.  It was one of many comebacks at Comerica Park on Tuesday night.

Comment of the Night:

Oh noes!

We can’t afford to conseayd a run here…

by explosivo2k2

And your runner-up, which is kind of the visual aid to the above remark.