Inge helps Tigers beat Diamondbacks

6/18/2010

DETROIT — Brandon Inge hit a tiebreaking RBI triple in the eighth inning and the Detroit Tigers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5 on Friday night for their seventh straight win.

The Tigers wasted leads of 4-0 and 5-4 before sending Arizona to its 14th consecutive road loss, extending its franchise record.

Brennan Boesch started the eighth-inning rally with a one-out walk against Chad Qualls (1-4). Boesch advanced on a groundout and scored on Inge's drive over the head of center fielder Chris Young. Alex Avila followed with an RBI single to make it 7-5.

Phil Coke (5-0) got two outs to earn the win and Jose Valverde needed just six pitches to record his 15th save.

Young and Stephen Drew each drove in two runs for Arizona.

Dontrelle Willis allowed five runs and five hits over five innings in his first game in Detroit since he was traded to Arizona on June 1. The left-hander, who struggled in his two-plus seasons with the Tigers, got a tepid greeting from the Comerica Park crowd.

Armando Galarraga, who replaced Willis in the rotation, gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 1-3 innings.

Willis was in a different uniform, but got off to a familiar start. His first three pitches were balls, and he walked leadoff hitter Ryan Raburn before giving up a one-out homer to Magglio Ordonez.

Willis gave up two more runs in the second, but settled down after that.

Arizona got Miguel Montero's solo homer in the fourth before scoring three times in the fifth to tie it at 4. Young had the big blow in the rally, hitting a two-run single.

NOTES: Willis and Miguel Cabrera faced each other for the first time after spending their first seven-plus season as teammates with Florida and Detroit. Cabrera left the game after four innings with dizziness, and is listed as day to day. ... Tigers C Gerald Laird was a late scratch with neck stiffness.