Tigers top Twins, 5-4, end four-game losing skid, but injury list grows
The game saw a couple of home runs, a few more defensive lapses, a Tiger get hit in the face and a dustup afterward
MINNEAPOLIS – The Detroit Tigers snapped a four-game losing skid today, but not before losing two regulars.
Miguel Cabrera went on the 10-day disabled list before the game after suffering a right groin strain in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Twins. Outfielder JaCoby Jones received nine stitches and will go on the 10-day DL before Sunday's game with a left lip laceration. Jones suffered the injury after being hit by an 89-m.p.h. fastball from Justin Haley in the third inning today.
The Tigers went on to beat the Twins, 5-4, at Target Field.
Tempers flared in in the fifth inning after Tigers lefty Matt Boyd threw a fastball behind Twins first baseman Miguel Sano.
Sano pointed a finger at Boyd after seeing a fastball go behind him in the fifth inning. The Tigers were leading, 3-2, at the time. Tigers catcher James McCann reacted by trying to get in front of Sano, who then threw a punch at McCann’s protective gear.
Crew chief Mike Everitt told a pool reporter that Boyd was ejected for intentionally throwing at Sano, in the view of the umpires, while Sano was ejected for throwing a punch.
“It’s a man’s game and guys are going to respond differently to different things,” McCann said when asked if he was surprised at Sano’s reaction.
McCann said Boyd was trying to throw a fastball inside and the pitch “must have gotten away from him.”
Boyd said Sano got to one of his changeups earlier in the game, so he tried to throw inside and missed. Sano had doubled off Boyd in the first inning.
No intent? “No, no,” Boyd said. “Throw a lot of changeups to him in the past. Today, he got one. Gotta go in on him.”
Sano told reporters there was no reason to hit him and that he reacted after McCann touched him first.
“I don’t want to talk about what he said to me,” Sano said, adding that McCann was supposed to be ejected, too.
Boyd allowed two runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He gave up three walks and struck out three.
As for seeing Jones get hit, McCann said: “It’s no fun to get hit. It’s a whole other story to get hit in the face. No protection and that’s not a lot of fun. You don’t like to see that happen to your teammates.”
McCann said he didn’t know what Sano was going to do.
“I saw him wag a finger at my pitcher,” McCann said. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re not going to do that while I’m catching.”
McCann said he was surprised Boyd was tossed.
“What the umpire said to me was they gotta get Sano, so they gotta get somebody from us,” McCann said. “I don’t know the rules. I just know what he told me.”
Nick Castellanos came running in after Sano threw a punch at McCann.
“It’s one of those things, man,” Castellanos said. “Our centerfielder got hit in the face. You know? We’re looking at him. He’s got blood dripping down from him. That’s not a good thing to look at. So however you want to take that you can take it.”
Castellanos and Justin Upton had already each hit solo home runs in the third inning to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
Castellanos doubled to left-center in the sixth to drive in Mikie Mahtook a break a 3-3 tie. McCann hit a sacrifice fly to right to bring home Castellanos and give the Tigers a two-run cushion.
Blaine Hardy gave up one run on three hits over 1 1/3 inning of relief. Shane Greene, Alex Wilson and Justin Wilson didn’t allow a hit or a walk over a combined 2 1/3 innings of relief.
Closer Francisco Rodriguez gave up two hits, including a solo home run to Jason Castro, but earned his sixth save for the Tigers (9-8).
John Hicks, called up from Triple-A Toledo, started at first and had an RBI single in the second inning. Hicks dropped a pop-up in foul territory that could have been the final out of the second inning. Instead, Jorge Polanco hit a two-run double to left.
Hicks finished 2-for-5 with an RBI. Castellanos went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Upton finished 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored.
Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple. Download our Tigers Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!