Austin Jackson led an eighth-inning rally to help the Detroit Tigers eke out a 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds and a morale-boosting victory in their three-game interleague series on Sunday.
The Tigers scored four runs in the eighth to erase a 6-3 deficit, the fightback highlighted by Jackson's game-tying two-run double.
Detroit (28-32) then added the winning run on losing pitcher Aroldis Chapman's wild pitch, giving them back-to-back wins after Cincinnati had claimed the opener.
"Taking this series was big," Detroit's Quintin Berry told reporters. "You can tell in the locker room, everybody's feeling pretty good. It feels like things are about to start changing.
The Reds blasted home runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to take control but could not make the advantage stick.
"That's going to happen," Reds third baseman Todd Frazier said of losing the lead. "That's like a good hitter a lot of times. Seventy percent of the time they're going to get out, so they'll be fine. It happens."
Frazier hit a two-run shot in the sixth and finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs but it was a poor night of production for Cincinnati slugger Joey Votto, who went 0-for-4 to end his 15-game hitting streak.
The Reds (32-27) lost for the fifth time in seven games to fall into a tie with Pittsburgh for the National League Central lead.
Things could not have started any worse for Detroit, who fell behind 3-0 in the third and saw starter Drew Smyly leave the game after three innings because of a blister on his left throwing hand.
The Tigers' bullpen preserved the victory after the visitors recovered. Brayan Villarreal tossed the fifth and sixth to earn the win and Jose Valverde recorded his 12th save of the season in the ninth.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)
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