Tigers jump out of five-game skid, hold off Diamondbacks

PHOENIX (AP) -- One night after they blew a late lead, the Detroit Tigers held on for a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.

That meant the Tigers could crank up the music in the visiting clubhouse to mark the end of a five-game losing streak.

"It's a 180-degree turnaround, man," said Matt Joyce, whose seventh-inning solo homer provided the winning margin. "You go from the lowest low point to one of the highest highs."

Carlos Guillen hit a two-run single and Armando Galarraga (3-1) kept the Diamondbacks at bay, allowing two runs and one hit in six-plus innings.

The Tigers, last in the AL Central, hope they can build on the victory.

"I want us where we expect to win, not like it's an exception," manager Jim Leyland said. "It's supposed to be the rule here, not the exception."

Todd Jones pitched the ninth for his sixth save in six chances. He hit leadoff man Justin Upton before retiring Mark Reynolds, Eric Byrnes and Chris Snyder on fly balls.

Snyder's drive to the warning track in right field brought the sellout crowd of 48,804 to its feet. But there would be no dramatic comeback for the Diamondbacks, who rallied with three runs in the seventh to beat the Tigers 4-3 on Friday night.

"Timely hitting is definitely big, and you can't do it every day," Upton said. "We did it last night to come from back from the deficit, and tonight we just couldn't do it."

With Chase Field's roof open on a 94-degree evening, Galarraga and Arizona's Max Scherzer (0-2) dueled through four scoreless innings in the twilight.

Galarraga walked two of the first three men he faced but escaped by retiring Conor Jackson on a liner to short and Upton on a pop to second.

He tired in the seventh, walking Upton and Reynolds to open the inning. Manager Jim Leyland lifted Galarraga, who threw 111 pitches, 23 more than his previous high. Galarraga walked five and struck out three.

Clay Rapada came on and walked pinch-hitter Byrnes to load the bases. Leyland brought on Aquilino Lopez, who gave up a sacrifice fly to Snyder and a single to pinch-hitter Miguel Montero that made it 3-2. Chris Young bounced into a 5-4-3 double play to end the rally.

The Diamondbacks blew a chance to tie the game in the eighth on a smart play by Detroit catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

After Stephen Drew led off with a single, Hudson popped up a bunt in front of the plate. Rodriguez let the ball drop, picked it up and fired to second to get Drew. Hudson was slow leaving the box and was easily retired on a 2-6-3 double play.

"Obviously, the objective is to get down the line," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "[Hudson] just had a little bit of a brain cramp. He obviously thought he was going to catch it."

Leyland said Rodriguez took a calculated risk -- the ball could have spun foul -- and it paid off.

"That's one of those things, you really take a chance," Leyland said. "Normally, I like to see it out on the playing field a little more. It was a little bit too close to the line. But he made the play and of course that was a huge play."

Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the fifth. The rally began when Scherzer walked Galarraga, who had struck out in his first major-league at-bat in the third inning.

It was one of four walks for Scherzer, who struck out five and allowed two unearned runs and three hits in five innings.

"Too many walks," Scherzer said. "Walking a pitcher. I was trying to get after him, trying to get ahead, and I didn't."

Curtis Granderson followed with a single, and Detroit loaded the bases on Jackson's fielding error on a grounder by Joyce.

One pitch later, Carlos Guillen lined a single to left field to score Galarraga and Granderson.

In the seventh, Joyce hit a 1-2 delivery from Brandon Medders into the first row of the right field bleachers to put the Tigers ahead 3-0. It was the rookie's fourth homer in 29 at-bats.

"First of all, I think he's got a sweet swing," Leyland said. "He's obviously got power. And I think he's new. They don't know him a lot yet, not that that's going to make a difference, not that he won't make adjustments."

Game notes
Detroit RF Magglio Ordonez went errorless for the 180th straight game. It's the longest streak by a Tigers outfielder since Al Kaline went 242 consecutive errorless games from April 15, 1970, to July 2, 1972. ... The game drew 48,804, Chase Field's second sellout. Country recording artist Trace Adkins performed a postgame concert.