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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
DETROIT (AP) -- Roberto Hernandez, who served up his share of
home runs in cozy Tiger Stadium, already is a fan of cavernous
Comerica Park.
Hernandez earned his 250th career save and Greg Vaughn had three
hits, including a two-run single, as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat
the Detroit Tigers 4-2 Monday night.
"This is a legit ballpark. If you're going to hit (a home run)
you've got to really crank it," Hernandez said. "It's kind of fun
coming in here instead of the old ballpark."
The Devil Rays, who have won three of four at Comerica Park, won
for just the third time in their last 10 games. They've lost 15 of
their last 23.
Hernandez pitched a perfect ninth, earning his 16th save in 21
chances, to thwart Detroit's final hope of a third straight
comeback win.
"If I concentrate on what I do best, which is get ahead and
getting them to swing at early pitches, I'll take my chances,"
Hernandez said. "I know they're a hot ballclub, but you've got to
go out and make them earn it."
Albie Lopez (7-7) improved his career record against Detroit to 4-0
by giving up only two runs on five hits in seven innings.
"I knew coming into the game they'd been hitting pretty well,"
Lopez said. "I knew I had to keep the ball down and mix up my
pitches and that's what I did tonight."
Lopez has won three of his last four starts.
"I didn't think Albie was really sharp, but he got through
it," Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said. "He didn't have
his good slider but made pitches when he had to to get us through
the seventh."
Jim Mecir retired all three batters he faced in the eighth
before Hernandez finished.
"If you give their bullpen a lead, they're pretty tough,"
Tigers manager Phil Garner said.
Hideo Nomo (3-10) struggled again in his third straight loss and
seventh in his last eight decisions. He gave up three runs on eight
hits and five walks in 6 1-3 innings. His best pitch, the
split-finger, was ineffective because he was constantly behind the
hitters.
"He needs to get ahead to get them to swing at his split,"
Garner said. "The last few games he has been trying to pitch too
fine. In this league nobody has a good enough fastball to get
behind and rely on fastballs."
Nomo gave up nine runs in just 2 2/3 innings in his last start,
a 9-1 loss to the New York Yankees.
"I'm not satisfied at all," Nomo said through an interpreter.
"Today I gave up just three but we could only get two. That's part
of baseball. I'm going to keep working and trying to stay longer in
the game."
Vaughn had the only hit in Tampa Bay's three-run third inning.
Nomo hit Felix Martinez with a pitch and walked Gerald Williams and
Vaughn singled home two runs. The other run scored on a wild pitch.
Juan Encarnacion led off the Tigers fourth with a triple and
scored on Bobby Higginson's grounder. Hal Morris hit a two-out
single and came around when Brad Ausmus tripled.
Williams hit an RBI single off C.J. Nitkowski in the eighth
after Miguel Cairo walked and stole second.
Game notes
Lopez is 4-4 in 11 starts since moving into the rotation
May 28. ... Nomo threw only seven more strikes than balls in his
109 pitches. ... Higginson batted cleanup for the third time this
season. Dean Palmer, who has batted fourth most of the time with
Juan Gonzalez on the disabled list, had the night off. ... Tampa
Bay is 2-4 after the first half of a 12-game road trip.
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