Magglio Ordonez and Brandon Inge each had two RBI Tuesday when the Detroit Tigers beat Minnesota 6-5 to split a doubleheader. Minnesota won the first game 3-2 to close to within one game of Detroit in the American League Central race.

Brandon Inge contributed the first of three straight RBI singles in a four-run fourth Thursday and Detroit survived a shaky ninth to nip Cleveland 6-5. The Indians lost their 11th straight, falling to a team that picked up a key three-game sweep in its bid to claim a division title. Detroit moved three games in front of idle Minnesota in the American League Central with 10 games to play.

Aubrey Huff hit a three-run homer in the ninth and Brandon Inge scored on an error in the 10th Monday to help Detroit beat Toronto 6-5. Huff hit his second home run since joining the Tigers in mid-August and Ryan Raburn also homered and drove in two runs for Detroit. Detroit starter Justin Verlander gave up five runs and 10 hits in seven innings while striking out nine.

Gerald Laird and Adam Everett each had two-run doubles in a five-run fourth inning Friday, boosting Detroit to a 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay. Brandon Inge gave Detroit the lead with a solo homer in the second and the Tigers broke things open with their big fourth inning. Rick Purcell (11-8) earned the win with a 5 2/3-inning effort, during which he allowed a run on four hits. Matt Garza (7-9), who had been trying to end a five-start winless drought, gave up all six runs. Garza issued one-out walks in the fourth to Aubrey Huff and Carlos Guillen, then gave up a single to Inge to load the bases. Laird and Everett followed with back-to-back, two-run doubles.

Clete Thomas hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth Thursday, boosting Detroit to a 7-6 win over Seattle. His second hit came shortly after a sacrifice fly by Brandon Inge created a 6-6 tie with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Inge also hit a solo homer. One of three hits by Ryan Raburn was