Tigers slip past Athletics

Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Austin Jackson drove in the winning run in the eighth inning to help the Detroit Tigers to a 6-5 win over the Oakland Athletics in the second of a four-game set.

Miguel Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, two RBI and two runs scored, while Torii Hunter smacked a solo home run and scored twice for the Tigers, who had dropped seven of eight coming into the game, including a 10-0 loss in the opener of this series on Monday.

"We've been struggling of late but it's always a grind," Hunter said. "This is baseball. Only the strong survive, the weak get thrown out."

Max Scherzer was tagged for five runs on eight hits over six innings in the start for Detroit, which saw Al Alburquerque (2-1) get the win for a scoreless seventh inning.

John Jaso hit a two-run home run for the Athletics, who have lost five of their last six. Sonny Gray was touched for four runs on eight hits in six innings, with Fernando Abad (0-2) being charged with the loss.

"My arm felt great," Gray said. "I felt really good and that's why it's a little bit frustrating because you felt like you have good stuff and you just get hit around a little bit."

Trailing by a run in the seventh, Hunter's two-out solo blast to dead center tied the game, and the Tigers went on top in the eighth.

With one out, J.D. Martinez walked and was replaced on the base path by Rajai Davis, who took second on a passed ball and stole third. Nick Castellanos then worked a walk and Luke Gregerson came on the mound.

Jackson hit a grounder to third and the A's tried to turn the double play, but Jackson beat the throw to first and Davis scored for a 6-5 lead.

Joba Chamberlain pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, while Joe Nathan did the same in the ninth for his 12th save of the season.

Detroit went on top in the first inning as Hunter doubled and scored on a Cabrera single, and Cabrera later came home on a Martinez double for a 2-0 lead.

Oakland got the runs back on RBI doubles from Jed Lowrie and Alberto Callaspo in the second, but Cabrera's eighth home run of the year in the third gave the lead back to Detroit.

Alex Avila's RBI double in the fourth made it a 4-2 game, but a balk from Scherzer with runners on the corners in the fourth scored Josh Reddick, and Jaso added a blast over the wall in right later in the frame for a 5-4 lead.

Game Notes

Detroit second baseman Ian Kinsler went 0-for-5 and had his 11-game hitting streak broken up ... Detroit had given up 34 runs in the three games prior to this contest ... Anibal Sanchez pitches for Detroit on Wednesday, while Scott Kazmir will take the hill for Oakland.