By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
Tigers 6, Yankees 1 – Ian Kinsler’s five RBI performance propelled the Tigers over the New York Yankees on Saturday night.
Kinsler also doubled, homered and scored a run for Detroit while Nick Castellanos chipped in with a solo home run.
The Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning before New York tied the game 1-1 in the third.
Detroit responded with five unanswered runs with three in the fifth and two in the seventh inning.
Tigers’ starting pitcher Justin Verlander picked up the win, allowing one run on five hits while striking out five batters in 6 2/3 innings.
Francisco Rodriguez notched his 18th save of the season for Detroit, recording the game’s final out.
The Yankees were led in a losing effort by Rob Refsnyder with two hits and an RBI while Chase Headley tripled and Didi Gregorius doubled.
The Tigers are now 31-30 on the season, good for a second place tie in the American League Central Division behind the first-place Cleveland Indians.
Detroit will look to win the series against the Yankees with a victory on Sunday afternoon.
Record: 31-30
Tied for 2nd Place in AL Central Division (3.5 games behind first-place Cleveland)
3 games behind Seattle for last Wild Card spot
Magic # to clinch a playoff spot: 105
Magic # to clinch an AL Central Division title: 106
Next Game: 06/12/2016 @ New York Yankees 2:05 p.m. @ Yankee Stadium
Hitting stats: Ian Kinsler 2B (13) HR (12) 5 RBI (40), Nick Castellanos HR (12) RBI (36), Justin Upton SB (3).
Pitching stats: Justin Verlander W (6-5) 6.2 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 5 K, Francisco Rodriguez SV (18) .1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 K.