By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
Phillies 8, Tigers 5– The Philadelphia Phillies snapped the Tigers four-game winning streak, avoiding a three-game sweep on Wednesday afternoon.
The Phillies led 2-0 in the second inning and had a 5-1 advantage in the fourth before the Tigers cut their deficit to 5-4 in the fifth.
Philadelphia scored three of the final four runs of the contest to seal the victory.
Odubel Herrera paced the Phillies with a home run and three RBIs while Peter Bourjos added a solo home run. Tommy Joseph and Andres Blanco each chipped in with a run batted in.
The Tigers were led in a losing effort by Cameron Maybin with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI while Jose Iglesias added two hits, one run scored and an RBI.
Detroit’s starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez continued his struggles, allowing three earned runs on eight hits while striking out five batters in six innings.
The Tigers are now 23-23 on the season, good for fourth place in the American League Central Division behind the Chicago White Sox.
Detroit will head out to the west coast to take on the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
Record: 23-23
4th Place in AL Central Division (3 games behind Chicago)
3.5 games behind Texas for last playoff spot
Magic # to clinch a playoff spot: 119
Magic # to clinch an AL Central Division title: 119
Next Game: 05/27/2016 @ Oakland Athletics 10:05 p.m. @ Oakland Coliseum
Hitting stats: Cameron Maybin RBI (6), J.D. Martinez RBI (25), Miguel Cabrera RBI (31), Victor Martinez RBI (27), Jose Iglesias RBI (9), Mike Aviles 2B (1), Steven Moya 3B (2).
Pitching stats: Anibal Sanchez L (3-6) 6 IP 8 H 6 R 3 ER 1 BB 5 K.
