By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
Tigers 6, Braves 2 – It did not take long for the Tigers to show they are serious in doing their part in making the postseason after cruising past the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
The Tigers, who are now 86-73 on the season, are now a half game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the last playoff spot with three games scheduled to play.
Detroit jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the game’s first three batters on a solo homer by Ian Kinsler, followed by a Cameron Maybin single and a two-run home run from Miguel Cabrera.
The Tigers managed to add on to their lead after Cabrera added another home run in the third inning to give Detroit a 4-0 lead.
James McCann knocked in a run with a single in the fifth and Justin Upton blasted a solo home run in seventh to increase the Tigers lead to 6-0.
Atlanta closed out the scoring with homers from Brandon Snyder and Matt Kemp in the seventh and eighth inning, respectively.
Upton and Cabrera paced Detroit with three hits each while Ian Kinsler chipped in with two hits.
Detroit’s starting pitcher Daniel Norris tossed a win, allowing one run on five hits while striking out eight batters in 6 2/3 innings.
The Tigers will look to stay in contention for a playoff spot with a win Saturday night against the Braves.
Record: 86-73
2nd Place in AL Central Division (6 games behind first-place Cleveland)
1/2 game behind Toronto for the last playoff spot
Magic # to clinch a playoff spot: 4
Misery # to AL Central Division elimination: Eliminated
Misery # to playoff elimination: 3
Next Game: 10/01/2016 @ Atlanta Braves 7:10 p.m. @ Turner Field
Hitting stats: Miguel Cabrera 2 HR (38) 3 RBI (108), Justin Upton 2B (28) HR (30) RBI (86), Ian Kinsler HR (28) RBI (82), James McCann RBI (48).
Pitching stats: Daniel Norris W (4-2) 6.2 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 2 BB 8 K.
