Tigers hit two grand slams for first time since 1968 as Detroit punishes Oakland

DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers didn't have much trouble with the Oakland Athletics on Friday night. It was the weather that almost cost them a win.

The Tigers had to wait out two lengthy rain delays before they were able to complete a 14-1 rout.

"We were fortunate to get that game in and get a victory," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I thought a couple times that we were going to get rained out."

Detroit got grand slams from Ryan Raburn and Brandon Inge -- the first time the Tigers hit two in a game since Jim Northrup did it by himself on June 24, 1968.

The start of the game was delayed for 61 minutes, and play was halted again for 73 minutes with Detroit leading 9-1 at the end of the fourth inning -- three outs from a rain-shortened victory.

"The umpires did a great job," Leyland said. "I've been on both sides of this -- one team wants it to keep raining and wipe everything out and the other team wants to keep playing. Luckily, things worked out for us this time."

Raburn entered the game hitting .095 and already had his grand slam and five RBIs when the game was stopped for the second time.

"For a while there, I thought I was going to lose all of that," he said. "The way I've been struggling, I needed this."

Edwin Jackson (3-2), who entered the game with the lowest run support in the American League, took full advantage of Detroit's big night. He allowed one run and six hits in seven innings -- three after the long delay -- without walking a batter.

"He was still throwing 95 [mph] in his last inning -- he would have pitched the eighth if we needed him," Leyland said. "The impressive thing was that he didn't go back out there to pitch the fifth inning, get the win and come out. He went out there to finish the game."

The Athletics struggled badly in the wet conditions, committing four infield errors in the first three innings and making several other mistakes in the field.

"I'm not happy about the way we fielded, and the team isn't happy either," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "The weather isn't an excuse -- they had to play in the same conditions that we did."

Brett Anderson (0-4) took the loss, allowing nine runs -- three earned -- six hits and two walks in 3 1-3 innings.

"My arm felt pretty good, but it was a battle all the way," he said. "I wanted to minimize the damage, but I couldn't do it."

The Tigers scored five times in the first. Errors by Jason Giambi and Bobby Crosby put runners on the corners with two outs, and Magglio Ordonez hit an RBI single off shortstop Orlando Cabrera's glove.

After Anderson hit Inge with a pitch to load the bases, Raburn hit his second career grand slam into the bullpen in left.

The Tigers made it 6-0 in the third when Cabrera misplayed Raburn's grounder, and a seventh run scored when Adam Kennedy dropped the ball while trying to turn an inning-ending double play.

Kennedy's RBI single made it 7-1 in the fourth, but Detroit added two in the bottom of the inning before the second delay.

After the game resumed, both teams seemed content to finish before another band of showers arrived. The fifth inning took just 8 minutes, but Inge's grand slam gave the Tigers a 13-1 lead in the sixth, and his RBI single in the eighth provided the final run.

Oakland had two hits after the game resumed.

"We just didn't play very well," Geren said. "We have to come back tomorrow and play our game."

Game notes
Recording artist Hammer, a former batboy and front-office worker for the Athletics, was scheduled to throw out the first pitch, but had to leave because of the rain delay. ... All four of Oakland's starting infielders committed an error in the first three innings. ... Crosby left the game in the third with an upset stomach. ... Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez were the last teammates to hit grand slams in the same game, doing it in Philadelphia's 13-11 win over Washington on April 27.