A squeeze bunt by third-baseman Alberto Gonzalez in the top of the 11th inning pushed across what proved to be the winning run as the Texas Rangers outlasted the Detroit Tigers on Sunday 3-2 to take the weekend series at Comerica Park two games to one.
Texas, which increased its season record to an American League-best 13-3, took the early lead in the top half of the first inning on a solo home run by Josh Hamilton. The Tigers tied it up in the third on a bases-empty shot to right center off the bat of Brandon Boesch.
Detroit went up 2-1 in the sixth, but the Rangers came back with a run in the top half of the eighth inning to knot the game at 2-2. That's the ways thing remained until the 11th inning.
Hamilton upped his team-leading batting average to .418 with a three-hit, two RBI game for the Rangers, and Miquel Cabrera led the Tigers with a two-hit afternoon.
Right-handed starter Colby Lewis went seven innings for the Rangers and gave up two earned runs on seven hits in picking up his second win of the season without a loss. Joe Nathan picked up the save, his fourth of the season.The loss went to Tiger reliever Thad Weber (0-1), who gave up the winning run in the 11th.
The Rangers have won all five of their series to begin the season. They head home to Arlington, where they will meet the New York Yankees for a three-game series, beginning Monday night.