Game 33: Tigers Rally, But Fall Short, 5-3

Bloomington, MN (May 21) - The Tigers had a .400 hitter at the plate in the eighth inning, with two outs and runners on first and second. The score was 4-3, Minnesota---after the Tigers scored twice to move within one run.

But as has been all too typical this season, the Tigers fell short.

Ben Oglivie, batting .429 (albeit in 37 at-bats), struck out. The Tigers ended up losing, 5-3.

The Tigers were trailing in the eighth, 4-1, and had two out and nobody on base when Dan Meyer's routine ground ball to second baseman Rod Carew looked to be the third out of the inning. But Carew's throw brought Tom Kelly off the bag at first base, keeping the Tigers' inning alive.

Willie Horton then smacked his eighth homer of the season---a line drive just over the left field wall---and suddenly Twins starter Vic Albury's sure win was a nailbiter.

Twins manager Frank Quilici went to righty Bill Campbell, who promptly walked the first two men he faced. That brought up Oglivie, pinch-hitting for Mickey Stanley.

Campbell fell behind, 2-0, then blew two fastballs past Oglivie before fanning him on a change up.


Carew's clutch two-run double in the fifth put the Twins ahead to stay


The Twins added an insurance run in their half of the eighth, aided by a Gary Sutherland error.

Campbell walked the leadoff man in the ninth (Aurelio Rodriguez), but then induced a 6-4-3 double play from Gene Michael before getting a game-ending ground ball to shortstop from Ron LeFlore.

The Twins scored a run in the first, and the Tigers tied it in the second on a solo homer from Leon Roberts (4th). The Twins moved ahead, 3-1, after Carew drilled a two-run double in the fifth with two outs. They added to their lead the next inning on a sacrifice fly from Kelly.

The Tigers (14-19) have lost four of five and seven of their past ten games.

"Sooner or later you have to stop tipping your cap to the other pitcher," Tigers manager Ralph Houk said, clearly irritated with his team's uneven offense. After scoring 16 runs Monday night, the Tigers dropped the last two games of the series while only scoring four runs total.

And two of those runs---last night in the eighth---would never have scored if it wasn't for Carew's error.

After tomorrow's off day, the Tigers travel to Chicago for the last leg of their three city, nine-game road trip.

Notes: Sutherland (0-for-4) is in a 3-for-30 funk, dropping his average from .379 to .312...LeFlore was caught stealing in the fifth, making him 3-for-10 this season in SBAs. That's not what the Tigers envisioned coming out of spring training...Horton's two RBI gave him 24 for the season, good for sixth in the AL...Carew was a home run away from hitting for the cycle.

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Tigers record: 14-19 (actual 16-17)
Home: 7-11
Away: 7-8
Last 10: 3-7