Small Ball Pays Dividends

Little things were big for the Tigers on Tuesday in their eighth consecutive win over the Twins.

The Tigers scored six runs in the fifth -- and it wasn't enough. Detroit did a good job getting runners in for a team that has struggled with men at third base and less than two outs.

Brennan Boesch grounded a 1-1 pitch to short with runners on second and third and one out in the sixth. Both runners scored when shortstop Matt Tolbert made an ill-advised try to get the runner going to third -- and threw the ball into the Detroit dugout. Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta followed with RBI doubles.

Peralta got a key sacrifice fly to center in the seventh with runners at first and third and one out. Boesch, who had singled and gone to second on a walk, had moved to third on a flyout to center by Martinez. It was little, but it was big enough to get in the game's tying run.

Danny Worth singled to start the eighth, and Austin Jackson bunted, with Worth beating the pitcher's throw to second in a failed try for the force. Casper Wells, who had never had a sacrifice bunt in his short major league career, then bunted a breaking ball for a sacrifice that moved both runners up. Boesch delivered the game-winning run by lifting a high, off-speed 3-1 pitch to right for a sacrifice fly.

"We had some big hits," manager Jim Leyland said, "and we did some little things well, too."

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