Raburn’s 3-run double caps 8th-inning rally, Tigers beat Blue Jays 6-5 for doubleheader split

Raburn’s 3-run double gives Tigers DH split

DETROIT — Ryan Raburn’s three-run double in the eighth inning capped a four-run rally that carried the injury-depleted Detroit Tigers to a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and a split of their day-night doubleheader Sunday.

In the opener, Lyle Overbay hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to snap a tie and send Toronto to a 5-3 win.

Miguel Cabrera hit an RBI double into the right-field corner off Jason Frasor (3-3) with one out in the eighth inning of the nightcap, cutting Detroit’s deficit to 4-3. It scored Austin Jackson, who led off with a single, and sent pinch-hitter Ramon Santiago, who was hit by a pitch, to third.

Brennan Boesch was intentionally walked to load the bases and Raburn ripped Frasor’s pitch into left-center.

Phil Coke (6-1) pitched an inning of scoreless relief to get the win. Jose Valverde allowed Dewayne Wise’s home run leading off the ninth but earned his 21st save in 22 chances.

Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the fifth on Fred Lewis’ two-out RBI triple. The Blue Jays added three runs in the sixth, chasing starter Jeremy Bonderman.

Jose Bautista hit the first pitch of the inning to left for his major league-leading 27th homer. Bonderman was replaced by Brad Thomas after a two-out walk to Edwin Encarnacion put runners on first and second. Wise’s infield single brought in one run. Thomas was replaced by Eddie Bonine, who allowed an RBI single to John McDonald. Wise was tagged out between second and third to end the inning.

The Tigers scored twice in the bottom half to make it 4-2.

Johnny Damon’s one-out infield single drove in Jackson, who led off with a triple. Cabrera followed with a single of his own, which sent Damon to third and starter Jesse Litsch to the showers. Brian Tallet came on and allowed Boesch’s sacrifice fly.

Litsch allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings. Bonderman gave up four runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings, striking out six.

Toronto, which leads the majors with 148 homers, scored all its runs in the first game on long balls. Jose Molina and Vernon Wells also homered, along with Overbay.

“That just seems to be what this club is all about,” manager Cito Gaston said. “That seems to be the way we win.”

Danny Worth went deep for Detroit in the first game and Jackson had three hits.

Scott Downs (4-5) escaped an eighth-inning jam to earn the win and Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth for his 23rd save in 27 opportunities.

Valverde (1-2) allowed Overbay’s tiebreaking homer.

With Wells on first following a leadoff single that went off Valverde’s left knee, Overbay took an 0-1 pitch to the opposite field and just over the left-field fence, beyond the glove of a leaping Raburn. It was Overbay’s 11th home run.

“Honestly, I was just trying to get something in the gap and let Vernon do all the work,” Overbay said. “He threw a lot of splitters and he hung one.”

It was only the second home run Valverde has allowed his season.

“He likes the fastball out over the plate, so we were just trying to get over a splitter and he left it up,” Tigers catcher Gerald Laird said. “It’s a good piece of hitting.”

Cabrera’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth tied it at 3. Shawn Camp relieved starter Brett Cecil and yielded a leadoff triple to Jackson. Camp walked Santiago before getting Raburn to pop out. Cabrera then looped a single to center to score Jackson and send Santiago to third.

Camp was replaced by Downs, who walked Boesch on a 3-2 pitch but struck out Scott Sizemore swinging and Jeff Larish looking to end the inning.

“I wasn’t going to let him (Boesch) beat me,” Downs said. “I knew the situation. He was going to hit my pitch.”

Wells broke a 2-all tie when he led off the seventh with his 20th home run and first since June 27.

Molina’s two-run shot in the sixth gave Toronto a 2-0 lead.

Detroit came back to tie it in the bottom half when Worth hit his second homer and Raburn hit a run-scoring double with two outs.

Cecil scattered six hits over seven innings, walked one and struck out six.

Tigers starter Armando Galarraga gave up three runs and six hits in seven innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out five.

NOTES: Lewis returned after missing three games with a twisted right ankle. … 3B Encarnacion leaned far into the stands just past the Detroit dugout along the left-field line to catch Will Rhymes’ foul pop in the first inning. … Gaston came out to argue with umpires twice in the fourth inning of the nightcap. … Jackson was 5 for 9 in the doubleheader.