Detroit, MI
Doug Fister came through when the Detroit Tigers needed him.
Fister tossed a quality 7.1 innings while Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta and Miguel Cabrera belted solo home runs to give the Tigers a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series Tuesday night at Comerica Park.
The Rangers have a 2-1 lead in the best of seven series.
Fister was Detroit's starter and allowed one run on seven hits in 7.1 innings.
"It was Fister, he did the job tonight," said Texas manager Ron Washington. "He's got a good sinker and a good breaking ball."
"I thought he put on a pitching clinic in and out, moving the ball around," Tiger manager Jim Leyland said. "He was moving the ball both sides of the plate."
Victor Martinez led off the bottom of the fourth with a game-tying solo home run for the Tigers. Cabrera doubled with two outs in the fifth off Texas starter Colby Lewis to give Detroit a 2-1 lead.
"We tried to make a pitch," Washington said. "Colby didn't get it there. Cabrera caught it."
In the sixth, Peralta opened the inning with a solo homer. Austin Jackson later delivered a two-out RBI single. Cabrera homered to open the seventh inning for Detroit's fifth run.
Texas opened the first inning with three straight singles including an RBI for Josh Hamilton. Ian Kinsler had an RBI groundout in the eighth for Texas' second run. Fister settled down after that.
"They came out swinging the bats," Fister said. "That was their approach. It was obviously working for them. We were going to attack the zone with our fastball and keep it down and use the defense. We stuck with it."
Lewis left the game in the sixth inning after allowing four runs on eight hits.
Fister recorded three strikeouts and didn't allow a walk.
"Using the defense was a key thing for me and just focusing in on, hey, I'm not trying to blow it by these guys," he said. "I'm not trying to get strikeouts. I'm looking for contact and let's go deep in the game."
Jackson, who had been in a hitting slump, collected three singles.
"I'm just trying to do whatever I can do to get on base, get in scoring position and try to let the guys behind me drive me in," Jackson said.
The Tigers played the game without Delmon Young, who was scratched from the lineup because of his oblique muscle injury.
Detroit has already lost Magglio Ordonez to a series-ending injury.
Game 4 is Wednesday night in Detroit.
Since the start of the best-of-7 LCS in 1985, 21 teams have enjoyed a 2-0 lead and 18 advanced to the World Series. A team has not come back from a 2-0 LCS deficit since 2004.
MLB on FOX: ALCS Game 3 recap
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