Davis’ eighth-inning home run helps push Tigers past Twins, 6-4

DETROIT They come to the park to win.

Every day and every night, manager Brad Ausmus said before the Detroit Tigers’ final home series of the season, no matter if they’re out of the postseason race which they are or if it’s the final time for their fans to see them play which it is.

And Friday at Comerica Park, they won.

The Tigers won despite a season-high three errors. They won despite allowing a sacrifice fly to second base. They beat the Twins, 6-4, when Rajai Davis hit a two-run home run to right field in the bottom of the eighth inning.

It was Davis’ eighth home run of the season.

After Nick Castellanos led off the eighth inning with a double and the following two Tigers went down on strikes, Davis punched a Glen Perkins fastball over the right-field wall for the go-ahead hit.

They punctured the Twins bullpen for three runs in the seventh inning and then two in the eighth to take left-hander Matt Boyd off the hook on a night he was solid if not superb but was shaken for four runs in the fifth inning.

In the fifth, Boyd allowed back-to-back walks to lead-off the inning and then was victimized by an error before Eddie Rosario tripled home three runs to right-center field. It was the only hit Boyd would allow.

He struck out four and walked four over six innings.

The Tigers scored a run in the bottom half of the fifth on a Dixon Machado RBI groundout and then three more in the seventh, when Ian Kinsler hit a ground-rule double to left-center field and two batters later, after Perkins walked Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez laced a two-run double to left-center field.

Davis’ go-ahead home run was only his second career to the opposite-field.

In the ninth inning, Neftali Feliz recorded his second save in three opportunities since being installed as the team’s closer.

The Twins totaled two hits.

With the win, the Tigers continue to stave off mathematical elimination from the American League postseason race. They are a loss and an Astros win away from being eliminated.

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