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Local Sports from The CourierFriday, July 06, 2012Fielder slugs a tiebreaking 3-run homer in eighth inningFielder hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning and Delmon Young followed with a solo shot to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 7-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday and a split of the four-game series. Miguel Cabrera's RBI single for Detroit in the eighth tied it 3-all. The hit scored Austin Jackson, who tripled with one out before pinch hitter Quintin Berry walked. That set the stage for Fielder. "It's exciting. ... Miguel took a lot of the pressure off. I can't say enough about the way he played today," said Fielder about Cabrera, who was 2 for 4 with two RBIs. "Like I said, I'm just glad those three guys in the eighth there really set the tone." Alex Burnett (2-1) relieved starter Scott Diamond to begin the eighth inning after Diamond allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out four. Burnett, who allowed three runs and two hits in 1/3 of an inning, was relieved by Tyler Robertson after Cabrera's tying hit. Fielder then hammered Robertson's 1-0 pitch into the right-field stands for his 13th homer of the season. "Just hung a slider to him (Fielder) and he did with it what he's supposed to do," Robertson said. "It wasn't good pitch . . . That happens when you don't make pitches." Berry knew the ball was gone when Fielder hit it. "Gosh, that was awesome. As soon as he hit it, I knew he got it. I was fired up," Berry said. "I was fired up that you could tell he's been putting some good swings on some balls and not getting anything from it, just barely missing them and seeing him get that at that point, I'll take that all day. Huge time to come up big." Fielder, who was voted by the fans to start at first base in Tuesday's All-Star Game in Kansas City, will also represent the American League in Monday night's Home Run Derby. He was selected as one of the four AL participants by captain Robinson Cano. who won the Home Run Derby last season. "The fans don't want to see me take ground balls," Fielder said. "I figure it'll be fun to do, plus the fans want to see it, might as well do it." Before his home run Fielder was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and had nearly knocked Tigers' catcher Gerald Laird out of the game in the top of the fourth With runners on first and second and none out, Minnesota's Jamey Carroll attempted a bunt and popped it up foul a few feet from the plate down the third-base line. It appeared to be Laird's ball, but both starter Rick Porcello and Fielder went after it. Porcello got a glove on the ball, but the 275-pound Fielder, running at full speed, knocked both players to the ground and the ball out of Porcello's glove. Laird, who got hit in the eye by Fielder's elbow, lay face down on the ground and had to be checked by Detroit's medical staff. He eventually got to his feet and remained in the game. Fielder said he called the ball but no one heard him. "It wasn't loud enough, I don't think I was loud enough. Yeah, I wasn't loud enough," he said. "Yeah, I think we just both called for it," Laird said. Subscribe to The Courier. |
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