Tigers starter Doug Fister may have moved himself into the number two spot of the rotation after pitching 6 no-hit innings in tonight’s 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
With that said it would have been an absolute shame if the Tigers couldn’t pull this one out for Fister who was simply remarkable. That was until Ramon Santiago hit a 10th inning walk-off home run ensuring that Fister’s start wasn’t wasted by an offense that was relatively silent tonight.
It also looked as though the Tigers were destined to lose this game after KC reliever Louis Coleman issued three consecutive two-out walks to load the bases. Wilson Betemit however couldn’t get the winning run in after he struck out to Aaron Crow to end the inning.
Tonight’s game though was truly a pitchers dual as both Fister and Francis faced the minimum number of hitters through 5 1-2 innings. Ryan Raburn ended reaching base in the bottom of the third however this was negated when Brandon Inge hit into a double play.
No one else on either team reached base until Tigers short stop Jhonny Peralta walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth.
Fister allowed one run on four hits in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out six.
Francis gave up just two hits and one walk in 6 1-3 innings. He struck out two.
| Kansas City | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon, LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .305 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .302 |
| Butler, DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .297 |
| Hosmer, 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .274 |
| Francoeur, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .277 |
| Moustakas, 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .232 |
| Giavotella, 2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .244 |
| Getz, 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .254 |
| Perez, S, C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .292 |
| Escobar, A, SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .245 |
| Totals | 33 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 7 | .269 |
| Detroit | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson, A, CF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .243 |
| Ordonez, RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 |
| 1-Santiago, PR-2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .254 |
| Young, D, LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .268 |
| Cabrera, Mi, 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .327 |
| Martinez, V, DH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .323 |
| Avila, C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .299 |
| Peralta, Jh, SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .306 |
| Raburn, 2B-RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .240 |
| Inge, 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .179 |
| a-Betemit, PH-3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .286 |
| Totals | 34 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 15 | .270 |
a-Struck out for Inge in the 8th.
1-Ran for Ordonez in the 8th.
2B: Gordon (41, Fister), Perez, S (5, Fister).
TB: Gordon 2; Hosmer; Moustakas; Getz; Perez, S 2.
RBI: Butler (76).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Gordon 2.
SAC: Cabrera, Me.
SF: Butler.
Team RISP: 0-for-2.
Team LOB: 4.
FIELDING
E: Moustakas (7, fielding).
DP: (Moustakas-Giavotella-Hosmer).
HR: Santiago (4, 10th inning off Crow, 0 on, 1 out).
TB: Jackson, A; Ordonez; Santiago 4; Cabrera, Mi; Peralta, Jh; Raburn.
RBI: Ordonez (25), Santiago (22).
2-out RBI: Ordonez.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Jackson, A; Avila; Young, D; Betemit 2.
GIDP: Inge.
Team RISP: 1-for-6.
Team LOB: 8.
| Kansas City | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4.64 |
| Holland, G(BS, 2) | 1.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.94 |
| Coleman, L | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2.72 |
| Crow(L, 3-4) | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2.51 |
| Totals | 9.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4.49 |
Pitches-strikes: Francis 90-54, Holland, G 32-22, Coleman, L 27-9, Crow 12-11, Fister 94-65, Coke 6-3, Benoit 30-19.
Groundouts-flyouts: Francis 13-3, Holland, G 3-1, Coleman, L 1-0, Crow 0-0, Fister 13-2, Coke 0-0, Benoit 1-2.
Batters faced: Francis 22, Holland, G 8, Coleman, L 5, Crow 3, Fister 27, Coke 1, Benoit 7.
Inherited runners-scored: Holland, G 2-0, Crow 3-0, Coke 2-0.
Umpires: HP: Phil Cuzzi. 1B: Tom Hallion. 2B: Bill Miller. 3B: James Hoye.
Weather: 76 degrees, cloudy.
Wind: 9 mph, In from RF.
T: 2:53.
Att: 34,866.
Source: Mlive.com, MLB.com, Detroit News