by
Justin Upton (File photo)
Ok, let's not get too excited, just yet. The Tigers are stuck in fourth place, 8 1/2 games behind Cleveland and 5 games out from a wild card spot.
But they've now won four games in a row, matching their longest streak of the year.
On Friday night, Justin Upton made it all happen, hitting a 402-foot grand slam home run in the eighth inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore to give the Tigers a 5-2 victory. It was his third grand slam of the year and the second one in six days.
Yes, some might call fans foolish for harboring hopes of post-season play. But baseball seasons often give way to hopes and dreams, and at least for the moment, some can't help but have a little optimism.
"This game reminded me a lot of the last game in 2011," says Verlander, the winning pitcher in that game and Friday night's victory, reports Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. "After the inning I saw Victor and he remembered it, too. It was in Cleveland and we were down by one or two runs (down 4-1) and Vic hit a grand slam with two outs.
"Kind of capped off a Cinderella year. This reminded me of that.”
Upton also sees good things from the team: "We’re playing good baseball. I don't know what it is. But guys are coming with good energy every day and we are winning."
