Porcello’s pitching helps Tigers avoid sweep vs. Cardinals

Tigers beat Cardinals 6-3, avoid sweep

ST. LOUIS — Rookie Rick Porcello won for the seventh time in nine starts and the Detroit Tigers shook off an offensive drought with a four-run first inning, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 on Thursday night to avoid a three-game sweep.

Placido Polanco and Marcus Thames homered in the eighth for the Tigers, who had scored three runs or less in their previous seven games. Detroit ended a four-game losing streak and won for the first time in six games at 4-year-old Busch Stadium counting three losses to end the 2006 World Series.

Porcello (8-4) allowed three runs in 5 2-3 innings. He worked out of trouble in the first, second and fifth, stranding two runners in each inning and is 7-1 with a 2.64 ERA in his last nine starts.

The right-hander leads AL rookies in wins and is 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA in three interleague starts. Fernando Rodney, making his first appearance in six days, walked the bases loaded with one out in the ninth before inducing a double play ball from Rick Ankiel for his 13th save in 13 chances.

Cardinals starter Joel Pineiro made a dramatic exit, cramping in his right leg and collapsing in front of the mound after striking out Josh Anderson to end the seventh. Pineiro, who allowed one earned run but left training 4-3, was carried off the field by Ankiel and Yadier Molina.

Pineiro (5-8) allowed four runs and four hits in the first, then retired 16 in a row starting with the last out of that inning. He gave up only one more hit, a leadoff single by Brandon Inge in the seventh.

Khalil Greene, activated from the 15-day disabled list for social anxiety disorder earlier in the day, struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth.

The Tigers opened the game with singles by Curtis Granderson and Polanco, and four players had an RBI apiece. Only one of the runs was earned after third baseman Joe Thurston booted Miguel Cabrera’s RBI grounder.

A wild throw on Pineiro’s poor bunt by Laird, the catcher, handed the Cardinals a run in the second and Tyler Greene added an RBI infield hit to cut the deficit to 4-2. St. Louis parlayed two hits and Chris Duncan’s RBI infield grounder to cut the gap to a run in the fifth.

NOTES: Cardinals manager Tony La Russa won his 100th game against the Tigers on Tuesday and is in triple figures against 16 teams, by far the most in major league history according to the Elias Sports Bureau. … Cardinals Hall of Famer Lou Brock attended the game on his 70th birthday. … Magglio Ordonez, benched by Tigers manager Jim Leyland Thursday, is a .409 career hitter (9 for 22) against Pineiro. … Albert Pujols grounded out as a pinch hitter for hot-hitting rookie Colby Rasmus in the seventh and played first base the rest of the game and flied out in the ninth. La Russa wanted to get him a day off, plus he has a sore ankle. … Pineiro is 6-2 with a 2.66 ERA against the Tigers, lowest against any AL opponent. … The homers by Polanco and Thames came in a span of three at-bats in the eighth off Cardinals rookie RHP Jason Motte, who has surrendered four homers in his last six appearances over 3 2-3 innings.