DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera 3,095th career hit was a pinch-hit walk-off single in the 11th inning, scoring Spencer Torkelson to complete a Tigers comeback for a 7-6 win over the Giants on Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park — Detroit’s third consecutive win.
The Tigers were staring at a 6-1 deficit after three innings as the Giants roughed up starter Michael Lorenzen in his Detroit debut. Zach McKinstry’s RBI double started Detroit’s comeback in a two-run fifth inning, aided by a Brandon Crawford error.
Though Anthony DeSclafani kept San Francisco in command with 6 2/3 quality innings, Detroit pounced once the Giants went to their bullpen. Javier Báez, who was booed after chasing a slider well off the plate for a fourth-inning strikeout, battled John Brebbia for 12 pitches — matching the longest at-bat of his career — in the eighth inning before lining a two-run double to the left-field wall to bring Detroit within a run. Kerry Carpenter missed a go-ahead homer by feet, but his fly out moved Báez into position to tie the game on Spencer Torkelson’s two-out single.
Five Tigers relievers, including just-arrived long reliever Tyler Holton, combined for seven innings of one-hit, scoreless ball with six strikeouts after Lorenzen’s exit. The last two innings from Jason Foley and Chasen Shreve kept Detroit in position to win it.
Cabrera stepped off the bench to hit for Akil Baddoo leading off the bottom of the 11th with Torkelson on second base. Taylor Rogers put him in a 1-2 count, but the second strike bounced past catcher Joey Bart and allowed Torkelson to move to third. With the infield forced to play in, Cabrera sent a 2-2 pitch back up the middle for a ground-ball single to end it.