Dozier hits 40th home run, but Twins fall 4-2 to Tigers
DETROIT -- Brian Dozier reached a personal milestone amid another Minnesota loss.
He's having a hard time separating those contradictory feelings.
"I'm sure when the season is over, it will mean a lot more, but I just wish this was happening in (first-place) Cleveland's position or Detroit's position, where we were making a run," Dozier said. "We're still looking at losing 100 games. ... That takes something away from this."
Dozier hit his 40th home run of the season, but the Twins lost 4-2 to the Tigers on Monday night. Ian Kinsler and Miguel Cabrera homered for Detroit.
Dozier is the second Minnesota player to reach 40 home runs in a season. Harmon Killebrew was the other. He did it most recently in 1970.
The Tigers scored two runs in the seventh on close plays at the plate.
With Detroit down 2-1, Andrew Romine walked and Jose Iglesias hit a double to the corner in left field. Romine was waved around, and he made it home right as the relay was arriving. Catcher Kurt Suzuki had to move to his left to catch the throw, and he lunged back as Romine stretched his left leg toward the plate.
He was called safe, and the run stood after a review. Iglesias moved up to third on the play at home.
"For me, that was the most important play of the whole thing," Iglesias said. "Read the ball and get to third base on that."
Kinsler flied out to center, Iglesias tagged up, and Suzuki had to reach to his right this time to receive Byron Buxton's throw home. Iglesias reached his left arm toward the plate and scored to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
Shane Greene (4-4) got the win in relief, and Bruce Rondon worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth. Cabrera's homer in the bottom of the eighth gave Detroit an insurance run.
Francisco Rodriguez walked two in the ninth but held on for his 41st save in 45 chances.
Alex Wimmers (1-2) took the loss.
Daniel Norris struck out a career-high 11 in 6 1/3 innings for the Tigers. Kinsler led off the bottom of the first with his 26th homer of the season, but solo shots by Dozier and Suzuki gave the Twins a 2-1 lead.
Cabrera's home run was his 32nd of the year.
Ervin Santana allowed one run and three hits in five innings for the Twins. He was lifted after throwing 95 pitches.
"I felt great, but I was at 95 pitches so if anyone gets on, I'm out of the game," Santana said. "It made more sense to start the inning with a fresh arm."
SLUGGER
More on Dozier: He extended his hitting streak to 16 games, and he now has 33 home runs in his last 76 games.
QUALITY START
Norris allowed two runs and five hits, throwing a season-high 106 pitches. This equaled his longest start of 2016, innings-wise. He also went 6 1/3 against the Twins on Aug. 25.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: 3B Miguel Sano left the game in the seventh with lower back tightness.
Tigers: LF Justin Upton came out at the beginning of the fourth with a left calf strain.
UP NEXT
Twins: Minnesota sends RHP Kyle Gibson (5-9) to the mound Tuesday night in the second game of this four-game series.
Tigers: LHP Matt Boyd (5-3) starts for Detroit. He won his previous two starts against Minnesota this season.
