Tigers 6, Astros 5: James McCann walk-off saves a nearly blown game

"Captain America" James McCann saved the Tigers on Thursday with an 11th inning walk-off home run, giving Detroit  a 6-5 victory over the Houston Astros. The Tigers led 5-0 at one point before stumbles by David Price and the Tigers' bullpen forced the game into extra innings.

That marks McCann's second home run, but the first one that left the playing field. Alex Wilson threw two scoreless innings to earn the win in relief. He allowed just a hit and struck out two.

The Tigers took easily to the pitching offerings of Astros starter Scott Feldman, touching him for 10 hits and a walk in six innings. Nick Castellanos hit a towering home run to left-center in the fourth inning, his fourth of the year, to post Price to a 2-0 lead. Ian Kinsler added an RBI on a fielder's choice in the fifth inning, and Miguel Cabrera increased the difference to 4-0 with his 1,400th career RBI a batter later. A Yoenis Cespedes single and Rajai Davis double made it 5-0 an inning later.

For the game, Cespedes went 3-for-3 with a double and walk. Anthony Gose had a three-hit day of his own and Cabrera added two knocks.

Meanwhile Price was putting together his best game of the season, allowing just a hit through the first six innings while striking out a season-high 12 batters. His pitch count was low and only a leadoff single by Jose Altuve in the fourth inning separated the game from being a no-hitter. Things quickly fell apart in the seventh, with a single, a triple, another single and another triple off Price cutting the lead to 5-3 and chasing the starter from the game. Price finished at five hits and a walk, and two of three runs allowed were earned.

Angel Nesbitt ended the bleeding on one pitch, but the combination of a single off Blaine Hardy, a lucky double by George Springer off Joba Chamberlain and a misplayed ball by Rajai Davis in right field resulting in a 5-4 game. Chamberlain escaped, stranding Springer a third base without allowing the ball out of the infield. The Tigers had a chance to add insurance in the eighth, but a leadoff double by Yoenis Cespedes was wasted.

However, Joakim Soria and the Tigers couldn't escape Preston Tucker. The Astros pinch hitter hit a home run to left field to tie the game, 5-5, marking Soria's first blown save of the season.

ROARS:

James McCann -- WALK-OFF says it all.

Alex Wilson -- Two scoreless extra innings of work.

Yoenis Cespedes -- Went 3-for-3 with a double, two walks and a stolen base.

David Price -- Allowed five hits, but just one through the first six innings. Struck out 12 for his first double-figures mark of 2015 after doing it 11 times last season.

Nick Castellanos -- Followed up a four-RBI day with a two-run home run to left-center in his second at-bat on Thursday. That's his fourth HR of the year.

Miguel Cabrera -- Collected his 1,400th career RBI with a single in the fifth. Added two more hits off Scott Feldman, increasing to a caeer 11-for-21 for a .524 average off him.

Anyone else? -- Rajai Davis hit an RBI double and stole a base. (But we're taking a half-roar away for the E9 in the eight inning that allowed a run to score.) Anthony Gose had a three-hit day, too.

HISSES:

Seventh inning -- Everything was going along so well. Price had a one-hitter and double figures strikeouts. The Tigers had a 5-0 lead. Then an Astros hit. Then a triple. Then a hit. Then a triple. Then it was suddenly 5-3 Tigers until Angel Nesbitt got Detroit out of the inning with one pitch.

Joakim Soria -- OK really hate to hiss him, but ... a blown save capped the Astros' five-run comeback.

Austin Romine -- Went 0-for-3 with an error.

J.D. Martinez -- Went 0-for-5. His hitting streak ended at 11 games.

STREAKS AND STATS:

• Miguel Cabrera drove in his 1,400th RBI in the fifth inning, arriving at the plateau the fifth-fastest in MLB history.
• His hitting streak has reached nine games.
• Nick Castellanos' 438-foot home run was the longest hit at Comerica Park this year (per ESPN Stats & Info)
• The Tigers are 8-1 in games started by David Price this year. They're 4-2 in games on Thursday. And they're 17-4 in day games.
• The Tigers stole two bases for an AL-high 39, tying the Astros. The Reds lead MLB with 43.
• David Price struck out 12 batters, marking the ninth time he has struck out 12-or-more in his career. That's the most in a Tigers' uniform. The last time he did it was against the Astros last June with the Rays.
• J.D. Martinez's 11-game hitting streak, which was the second longest in the AL this year, ended at 11 games.
• Joakim Soria's blown save was his first of the year.

WIN PROBABILITY GRAPH:

Source: FanGraphs