Major League Baseball

Tigers' rally falls short in 9th inning, Yankees hold on

Published Jun. 3, 2016 1:08 a.m. ET

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DETROIT (AP) The Detroit Tigers have impressed their manager with their ability to come from behind.

Brad Ausmus just wishes they didn't have to do it so often.

The Tigers scored against Yankees relievers Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman, but still fell short Thursday night in a 5-4 loss to the New York Yankees.

Two after coming back from a seven-run deficit to tie the Angels in a game it ultimately lost, Detroit dropped its fifth game in six tries.

''We've had a few games in the last few days where we fight back, but I'm getting tired of fighting back,'' Ausmus said. ''I'd like to hold on to a lead one time.''

Matt Boyd (0-1) took a no-hit bid into the sixth. He allowed four runs on six hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings.

''We were looking at his pitch count and hoping that he could get through eight, but they started finding holes and lofting singles into the outfield,'' Ausmus said. ''Five feet in either direction, and a couple of those are fine, but that's baseball.''

Boyd said he thought the Yankees were faster to make adjustments than he was.

''I got them out with good pitches the first couple times, but they started hitting those same pitches as I got deeper into the game,'' he said. ''You have to do something different, and I wasn't quick enough.''

Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius, who didn't enter the game until the eighth inning, saved his teammates with two spectacular plays.

Down 5-3, Detroit quickly loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth against Chapman on a single, a walk and a bunt single.

Gregorius then scampered up the middle to field a hard grounder by J.D. Martinez and made a glove flip to second baseman Starlin Castro, who caught the ball with his bare hand and let go a strong, off-balance relay. A run scored on the play, with the potential tying run moving to third.

The Yankees chose to pitch to Tigers star Miguel Cabrera, and Chapman retired him on a routine grounder for his eighth save.

''We get that great double play, and then we've got Miggy coming up with Victor (Martinez) on deck,'' Girardi said. ''That's not much fun, no matter how you want to face it. Luckily, we got the out to end the game.''

Jacoby Ellsbury drove in three runs and Rob Refsnyder had two key hits for the Yankees in a makeup game from a rainout on April 10. New York had lost three straight.

Betances (2-2) wound up with the win.

Mike Aviles hit an RBI double off Betances that made it 5-2 in the seventh.

Pinch hitter Ian Kinsler hit an RBI double in the eighth against Miller. Justin Upton was thrown out at the plate on the play, with Gregorius taking a relay from left fielder Brett Gardner.

Ausmus challenged the play, saying that Austin Romine had blocked the plate, but the call was quickly upheld.

''We knew it was a reach, but we had nothing to lose,'' he said.

Refsnyder hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh for a 2-1 lead.

ROSTER MOVE

The Tigers optioned LHP Kyle Ryan to Triple-A Toledo after the game, and will recall LHP Blaine Hardy before Friday's game.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: RHP Luis Severino is scheduled to start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday. Severino strained his right triceps on May 13, and was activated from the disabled list on Monday and optioned to the RailRiders.

Tigers: Kinsler was out of the starting lineup for the third time in nine games on Thursday, but Ausmus said it wasn't related to the illness that caused him to miss the previous two games.

TRADE REUNION

Thursday marked the first time that Cameron Maybin, Miller and Cabrera had appeared in the same game. In 2007, Maybin and Miller were the key players sent to Miami in the trade that brought Cabrera to the Tigers.

UP NEXT

Yankees: New York travels to Baltimore to start a three-game weekend series. Nathan Eovaldi (6-2, 3.71) faces Chris Tillman (7-1, 2.92) in the opener. Eovaldi is 6-0 in his last seven starts, including five straight wins.

Tigers: Host the White Sox on Friday in the opener of a three-game series. Jordan Zimmermann (7-2, 2.52) is scheduled to pitch for the Tigers after missing his last start with a groin strain. Carlos Rondon (2-4, 4.24) pitches for the White Sox, who will be bringing Alex Avila back for his first game against the Tigers.

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