Tigers put on power display, send A's to 11th loss in 12 games

DETROIT (AP) -- After a slow start in the American League, Miguel Cabrera has found his power stroke.

Cabrera homered twice and drove in four runs Saturday night, lifting the Detroit Tigers to a 10-2 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Gary Sheffield and Edgar Renteria also homered for Detroit, which won for the second time in nine games.

Cabrera broke open a one-run game with a three-run shot in the seventh inning, giving the Tigers a 6-2 lead.

"He's a force," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We talked about how good he would be and he's gotten acclimated [to the AL]."

After A's reliever Alan Embree walked Magglio Ordonez intentionally -- after running the count to 3-0 -- Cabrera drove Embree's first pitch into the left-field stands for his 23rd home run.

"The key was Cabrera's three-run shot," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "That was the one that was tough to overcome."

Cabrera is hitting .348 in the 22 games since the All-Star break with seven home runs and 32 RBIs. He has 89 RBIs, third in the AL, and is hitting .298.

"I know what they're trying to do to me now," Cabrera said of the AL's pitchers. Cabrera came to the Tigers in a trade with Florida in the offseason.

Frank Thomas connected for Oakland, which has lost 11 of 12.

Armando Galarraga (10-4) allowed two runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings for the win.

But Detroit lefty reliever Bobby Seay got the game's biggest out. Leading 3-2 in the sixth, Galarraga loaded the bases with two outs. Seay replaced him and got Daric Barton on a flyout to end the inning.

"Just come in and try and get ahead and throw strikes," said Seay, who pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out two. "Not a lot of room for error. Just be ready to go with that first pitch."

The Tigers added four in the eighth on Brandon Inge's RBI single, Curtis Granderson's run-scoring double, Matt Joyce's a run-scoring single and Ordonez's RBI single.

Thomas gave Oakland a 1-0 lead in the first with his eighth home run of the season and 521st of his career. That tied him for 17th all time with Willie McCovey and Ted Williams.

Sheffield tied it 1-all for Detroit in the second with his 10th homer of the season. It was Sheffield's 490th career home run.

Renteria's home run leading off the third gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead. It was his sixth of the season.

The Athletics tied it in the fourth on Jack Cust's RBI single. But Cabrera homered off Dan Meyer (0-1) in the bottom half to put Detroit up 3-2.

Meyer gave up three runs and six hits in five innings.

"If you don't execute against a team like this, they will hurt you," Meyer said. "And that's what they did."

Game notes
Detroit 3B Carlos Guillen didn't play because of lower back spasms, which forced him out of Friday night's game in the seventh inning. ... Comerica Park's Jumbotrom scoreboard, which is located in left field, was struck by lighting during a hail storm before the game. ... Oakland 3B Jack Hannahan was 0-for-3 to stretch his slump to 0-for-26. ... Before the game, the Tigers honored the achievements of Latin American and Hispanic players in the major leagues. The special guest was Ozzie Virgil, who was the majors' first Dominican player, with the New York Giants in 1956. He was also credited with being Detroit's first Black player, in 1958. Virgil is a special instructor with the New York Mets. ... Sheffield's home run gave him his 1,609th career RBI, which ties him with Goose Goslin for 28th all time. ... Cust returned to the Athletics' lineup after missing two games with an infected right thumb. He was 2-for-4.