Tigers Repeat Lessons Learned Previous Day

It took the Detroit Tigers six weeks to learn how to rally.

Now they’ve done it twice in a row, raising their victory total to nine.

Andy Tomberlin and Bobby Higginson hit two-run homers as the Tigers defeated the Oakland Athletics, 6-3, on Thursday.

They trailed, 3-1, in the sixth before Tomberlin tied the score with his first home run of the season. Higginson hit his sixth homer an inning later off Tom Candiotti (3-4).

Until Wednesday, the Tigers had not won all season when trailing after the second inning.

But they scored seven runs in the last two innings Wednesday to beat the A’s, 10-5, and pulled off another comeback Thursday to sweep the rain-shortened two-game series for their first series win this season.

It was the first time the Tigers had swept a series of two games or more on the road against the A’s since 1965 in Kansas City.

Detroit has won five of eight overall.

“I think it’s very significant for us,” said Higginson, who had two-run homers in both games and has four homers in his last five games. “To have the confidence to win a game when we’re behind late is important.

“I think we’ve always been capable of doing it, but now we’re finally coming together as a team.”

Detroit’s Justin Thompson (2-4) gave up three runs and three hits in eight innings to win for the first time in seven starts since opening day at Tampa Bay. If he had lost, he would have joined teammate Greg Keagle as the only five-game losers in the AL.

Candiotti gave up five runs and 10 hits, including the two homers, in 6 1/3 innings. He had given up only two homers in 48 innings coming into the game.

Oakland’s Rickey Henderson walked three times, leaving him one short of 1,800.

Henderson, who has 17 walks in his last 13 games, ranks fifth on the major league list.