Tigers 7, Reds 6
At Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati
WHAT HAPPENED: Rookie left-hander Drew Smyly left trailing 3-0 after three innings because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. The Tigers trailed 6-2 heading into the seventh and 6-3 to the eighth. Then they put their first two runners aboard in the eighth and forced closer Aroldis Chapman into a try for a six-out save and before he could get one out, the Tigers had gone ahead. Austin Jackson hit a two-run double to tie the score, and Chapmans wild pitch brought home the go-ahead run.
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OH THAT BULLPEN: Joaquin Benoit guarded the 7-6 lead with a shutout eighth. Valverde threw a perfect ninth. As in Saturdays win, they didnt let the Reds best hitter, Joey Votto, get up in the last two innings.
WHAT A SERIES: In all three games of the series, the Tigers broke a tie in the eighth and gave their bullpen a one-run lead for the bottom of the eighth. The Tigers won the final two games of the series and won only their fourth series in their last 16.
PEREZS FIRST HIT: Rookie infielder Hernan Perez, summoned Saturday from Single-A when Jhonny Peralta went on paternity leave, got his first hit when he beat out an infield grounder in the ninth. He entered the game in the eighth as a pinch-runner for Brennan Boesch. Perez caught Zack Cozarts pop-up for the final out. Perez appears headed back to Single-A; Peraltas wife gave birth to twin daughters Saturday, and he is expected to rejoin the Tigers for their next game, Tuesday night in Chicago.
SMYLYS STREAK: Smyly made five straight quality starts early in the season. Since that streak, the rookie left-hander has now gone six straight starts without a quality start.
FIRST: For the first time, Jackson and Quintin Berry were in the same lineup. Berry replaced Brennan Boesch (sprained ankle) and batted second.
THREE STARS: 1. Jackson (homer, tying double, three RBIs), 2. Valverde (third straight save of three-up, three-down in ninth), 3. Reds 3B Todd Frazier (homer, four RBIs).
Contact John Lowe: 313-223-4053 or jlowe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @freeptigers.
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