Jeremy Bonderman did not look good in the first inning. He gave up three singles and found himself down a run before the game's second out was recorded. Wise watchers of the Tigers knew right away: That's probably a good thing. Bad first inning, good game. That's just how it works with him.
That's what happened, too. He allowed five hits and one run across the next five innings and picked up his first victory in three decisions. The Tigers won their fourth consecutive game and are now just a game under .500. (Still 5.5 games out of second place and soon-to-be 10 out of first, so let's not get our hopes too high.)
The game wasn't really in doubt even before the seven-run outburst in the sixth inning, but that was sure fun to watch. For the second time in as many innings, the Royals intentionally walked Miguel Cabrera. (He's up to 25 now.) For the second time in as many innings, Ryan Raburn made them pay for it. He had a double in the fifth and a single in the sixth to collect three RBI. He finished with three hits for the night, too.
But who didn't have hits? Besides Austin Jackson, who chose to walk to first base instead in three of his at-bats. Will Rhymes, Johnny Damon, Jhonny Peralta. The multi-hit club was pretty packed for the night.
So all-in-all, it was pretty fun. Except for Damon drama, which will be a separate post of its own as soon as I write it!