With the Detroit Tigers leading the Houston Astros 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Bruce Rondon gave up a solo shot to Preston Tucker to tie the ball game. The blown save cost Justin Verlander the win after an outstanding game, but the Tigers continued to fight for a win of their own. 

The Tigers fought hard to put up a three-spot in the top of the 11th inning to give themselves a 4-1 lead, but the bullpen would have to hold off the Astros in the bottom of the inning. After it all was said and done, Detroit won 4-2 over Houston. 

Jose Iglesias started things off with an infield single, which was followed up by a walk from Miguel Cabrera, who finished 2-for-4 with one walk. 

Pat Neshek, who was on the mound for the top of the 11th, gave up an RBI double to deep center field off the bat of Victor Martinez. He also gave up RBI singles to outfielders J.D. Martinez and Tyler Collins. Neshek could not record an out against Detroit, so Houston was forced to call in Tony Sipp to finally get out of the inning. 

It was a shining performance for Verlander, who struck out seven over 7.0 innings pitched. The veteran tossed 107 pitches and gave up just three hits and two walks to a solid Astros team.

If Rondon would not have blown the save, Verlander would have gotten his second win of the season. Currently, the 32-year-old is 1-5 with a 4.11 ERA on the season. 

Carlos Gomez, the Astros center fielder, struggled against Detroit again on Saturday. He finished 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Over the first two games of the series, Gomez is 0-for-9 with five strikeouts. The supposed superstar was acquired by the Astros from the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline. Gomez is batting .196/.224/.286 since arriving in Texas. 

The Tigers sent in Neftali Feliz to get the job done in the bottom of the 11th inning. The former Texas Rangers closer gave up a run, but kept the Detroit lead. After dropping game one, the Tigers evened up the series with their 4-2 win on Saturday. 

Al Alburquerque got the win and is now 2-0 with a 2.86 ERA on the season. He pitched a scoreless 10th inning to allow the Tigers to get another shot on offense in the top of the 11th. 

As for the Astros, Collin McHugh pitched well, but the offense did not provide an support for the 28-year-old who settled for the no-decision. 

The graduate of Berry College, who was drafted in the 18th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the New York Mets, gave up one run on four hits and two walks through 7.0 innings pitched. McHugh is still 13-6, but he lowered his ERA from 4.22 down to 4.09 with the impressive start. 

The Tigers activated Cabrera on Friday afternoon and the slugger has been in two games since coming off the disabled list. The two-time Most Valuable Player is 2-for-7 with two walks since returning to the lineup. 

On Sunday, the Tigers will send left-handed rookie Matt Boyd to the mound for the rubber match against Houston. The 24-year-old is 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA over two games since being traded to Detroit. 

Houston will oppose with Mike Fiers, a right-hander who was acquired at the trade deadline. The former Brewers starting pitcher is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA over 11.2 innings since being traded to the Astros. 

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About the author
Evan Petzold
Evan Petzold is a Detroit-based journalist with expertise in covering the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. A member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) and Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DBSA), he brings a unique skill set in reporting and broadcasting to the table.