Field Level Media
May 2, 2018
John Hicks laid down a bunt single on a squeeze play to bring home JaCoby Jones in the 12th inning, giving the host Detroit Tigers a 3-2 walk-off win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon.
Jones ripped a triple to center field to lead off the 12th, and Hicks bunted him home on the next pitch. Jones had three hits and Hicks contributed two while also scoring a run for Detroit, which took two of three in the series. James McCann added a game-tying solo homer.
Warwick Saupold (1-0) pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts to collect the victory.
Wilson Ramos led the Rays with three hits and an RBI. Denard Span walked twice, scored a run and knocked in another. Matt Andriese (0-1) took the loss.
Both starters had quality outings and wound up with no-decisions. Detroit's Michael Fulmer gave up two runs on six hits with five strikeouts over six innings. Rays left-hander Blake Snell allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera sat out for the third consecutive game with a left bicep injury.
Fulmer had control issues from the beginning. He walked two batters in the first inning, including the leadoff hitter Span. Ramos knocked him in with a bases-loaded single before Fulmer induced Joey Wendle to hit into a double play.
The Rays manufactured another run in the second on an infield single, a hit batsman, a sacrifice and Span's RBI grounder.
Snell retired eight consecutive batters before Detroit made it 2-1 in the fifth. Hicks and McCann hit back-to-back singles and advanced on a sacrifice. Dixon Machado's groundout brought home Hicks.
Jones had a leadoff single to begin the seventh but was thrown out trying to advance on Hicks' long fly ball. That proved costly when McCann smoked a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall to tie it at 2-all.
Machado, the second baseman, snared a Carlos Gomez liner with a runner at second in the eighth to prevent the Rays from taking the lead.
--Field Level Media