Cabrera, Inge lift Tigers over Rangers

4/27/2010

ARLINGTON, Texas - Neftali Feliz got his first opportunity to pitch on consecutive days for the Texas Rangers.

The second go-round wasn't very good for the youngster who often throws 100-mph fastballs.

Feliz gave up back-to-back homers to Miguel Cabrera and Brandon Inge in the ninth inning last night and the Detroit Tigers beat the Rangers 8-6 after blowing a five-run lead.

"It wasn't the result I expected. It wasn't a good result, but I was feeling good," Feliz said through an intepreter. "It wasn't the pitches. It was the location of the pitches, it wasn't where I wanted to locate."

Cabrera's homer came on a 95-mph fastball, the hardest of the right-hander's 15 pitches yesterday - and faster than any of the seven pitches the 21-year-old Feliz (1-1) threw to get three outs

Sunday in another non-save situation. Inge hit a 94-mph pitch for his second homer of the game.

"We knew he was tough," Cabrera said. "You have to be patient and make contact. He throws so hard that if you make contact, it can go out, especially in this ballpark."

Cabrera's tiebreaking homer was a 399-foot shot that landed in the Rangers' bullpen in right-center. Inge followed with a blast to left.

Inge's two-run shot in the fifth, his first of the season, put Detroit up 6-1.

"Sometimes you hit a spurt where no matter where you hit it, it ends up being an out. But that ends eventually," a relieved Inge said. "You try not to get too frustrated with things. I felt it was a matter of time. I needed to relax."

Left-hander Phil Coke (3-0), the third Tigers pitcher, worked 12/3 shutout innings before Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth against the top of the Texas lineup for his sixth save in seven chances.

Coke took over with one out in the seventh after the Rangers had loaded the bases off Joel Zumaya. Coke struck out Josh Hamilton on three pitches before giving up a two-run single to Vladimir Guerrero that tied it at 6.

David Murphy had a two-run double and a run-saving catch after he entered the game for Texas in the top of the sixth for right fielder Nelson Cruz, who reaggravated a right hamstring that has bothered him the past week.

Detroit, which wrapped up a 5-6 road trip, led 4-0 after the first four batters of the game reached and scored off Matt Harrison.

"I was maybe trying to overthrow," Harrison said.

Austin Jackson, the rookie center fielder playing not far from his hometown in Denton, had a leadoff single before consecutive walks. Cabrera had an RBI single, then Ryan Raburn cleared the bases with a one-out double - a ball high off the 14-foot wall in left-center field that would have been a grand slam if only a few feet higher or to the right where the height of the wall decreases to eight feet.

Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman retired the first 11 batters he faced until Hamilton homered in the fourth to make it 4-1. After getting his first day off Sunday, Hamilton's second homer of the season ended a 6 for 36 slide, and he added a single and scored again in the sixth before his strikeout in the seventh and a game-ending line out.

NOTES: Tigers SS Adam Everett (mild right hamstring strain) missed his second straight game. ... Tigers manager Jim Leyland said RHP Zach Miner, who has been on the disabled list with a right elbow problem since spring training, is throwing off a mound and "is about ready to pitch."