Twins' bullpen loses touch as Tigers come back to win sixth in row

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- There was no way Joel Zumaya was going to disappoint Todd Jones and the rest of his teammates.

Zumaya got five outs for his first save in more than a year, and Curtis Granderson's go-ahead RBI single capped Detroit's two-run eighth inning as the Tigers rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Monday night.

"Jonesy came in and tapped me on the shoulder and said 'Hey, we need you tonight,'" Zumaya said. "I'm not going to let the guy down that taught me all this stuff, who took the time to teach me about the bullpen, and be a closer in the future. He needed a day off and I knew I was the one that would get thrown in the fire if we were winning."

Granderson's single to right-center fell two steps in front of Carlos Gomez, allowing Matt Joyce to trot home from third and helping Detroit win its sixth straight.

Joyce, recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, tripled one batter earlier to score Gary Sheffield with the tying run.

"These come-from-behind wins really get us going," said Casey Fossum (1-0), who pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. "We know at any point this offense can unleash some runs."

The Twins almost did that at the end.

Minnesota had runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth against Zumaya, but Alexi Casilla flied out and Joe Mauer grounded out.

"I knew once I got those guys on base I was going to face probably the heart of their lineup. My goal was just getting big outs," said Zumaya, who earned his first save since April 12, 2007, at Toronto.

The appearance was the hard-throwing Zumaya's fifth of the year. He didn't play until June 20 as he recovered from right shoulder surgery.

"I just told him one pitch at a time," manager Jim Leyland said.

Matt Guerrier (4-3) took the loss as the normally reliable Twins bullpen failed to hold a lead. After not allowing an earned run in 24 1/3 innings since June 18, Minnesota relievers gave up three to the Tigers.

Minnesota led 4-1 before Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen had RBI singles off Jesse Crain and Dennys Reyes in the seventh.

Minnesota spent the previous two weeks beating up on Milwaukee, Washington, Arizona and San Diego -- going 13-2 in its previous 15 games, including 9-1 in its last 10. Since being 12 games under .500 on June 7, Detroit had won 17 of 21 before Monday.

The intensity was high from the get-go, with Guillen looking down Minnesota starter Glen Perkins in the first inning after he deemed a pitch was thrown high and inside.

Perkins, who struck out a career-high seven in 6 1/3 innings, said there was no negative intent.

"I don't want to leave the ball over the plate and it was one that just got away from me. I definitely don't want to be known as that kind of guy."

Manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected in the third inning after Mauer was almost hit twice by pitches from Detroit starter Armando Galarraga.

"I think everybody saw what happened," Gardenhire said. "Let's just leave that alone. I don't want to get in trouble. I get fined every time that happens."

The Tigers starter threw behind Mauer, who's hitting .321. The next pitch was inside, forcing Mauer to jump back. Plate umpire James Hoye immediately warned both benches, and Gardenhire came out to vehemently argue.

"It's a division game. They're all going to be like that. They're right behind us and obviously it's going to be pretty intense out there," Mauer said. "It wasn't necessary, you know. Especially the second one. I guess that's the way it goes."

After walking, Mauer scored on a single by Justin Morneau that was booted by left fielder Clete Thomas to make it 2-1. Detroit tied a season high with three errors.

Mauer, who had an RBI double in the first, had a much shorter run-scoring hit in the fifth to score Gomez for a 3-1 lead. Galarraga couldn't pick up a dribbler to the right of the mound and first baseman Marcus Thames' throw was a split-second too late.

Denard Span had an RBI double in the sixth for Minnesota when Ryan Raburn attempted to make a diving catch in right field that would have ended the inning, but umpires ruled he trapped the ball.

Thames, who struck out four times, homered in the second for the Tigers. Nineteen of his last 28 hits have been for extra bases.

Game notes
Span started in right field for Minnesota and had two hits. He was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to replace Michael Cuddyer, who went on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a strained tendon in his left index finger. "I just want to come out here, have fun and not take anything for granted," said Span, who hit .258 in 12 games for Minnesota in April. He made a sliding catch on the game's first pitch. ... Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera left the game with a tight left hip flexor. He's listed as day-to-day. ... Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman had surgery Monday to correct a condition that caused a blood clot in his pitching arm.