DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers have found a winning formula, and it sure is a dramatic one.
Dmitri Young's two-run homer in the 11th inning gave Detroit its season-high fifth straight victory, a 9-7 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night -- the Tigers' third straight game-ending home run.
Eric Munson's solo shot in the ninth beat Arizona on Saturday, and Carlos Pena's grand slam in the ninth led the Tigers past the Diamondbacks the next day.
"When it was tied 7-7, I thought about another walk-off home run," Young said. "I thought, 'It could be me."'
Craig Dingman (2-1) pitched a perfect 11th for the win for the Tigers, who blew a 7-5 lead in the ninth but rebounded for another dramatic victory.
Jose Jimenez (1-7) walked Ivan Rodriguez to start the inning, and Young followed by lining a 0-1 pitch over the right-field wall.
"I've never seen anything like this in all my years in the big leagues," said Rodriguez, who was 3-for-5, and has 48 hits in his last 101 at-bats. He also raised his major-league leading batting average to .376.
It's the third time in a week that Jimenez has allowed a two-run homer in extra innings. Jose Valentin hit one off Jimenez in the 10th inning last Tuesday in an 11-9 loss to the White Sox, and Larry Walker connected off him in the 10th on Friday night to give Colorado a 10-8 win.
With the Tigers leading 7-5, Casey Blake drew a walk from Franklyn German to lead off the ninth. Ben Broussard followed with a two-run homer into the right-field stands to tie it at seven.
"I got a good pitch to hit, 3-2," Broussard said. "It was a fastball. He didn't want to walk another batter."
Munson homered and drove in four runs, and Bobby Higginson also hit a home run for the Tigers.
With one out in the first, Higginson lined a pitch from Jake Westbrook into the right-center field stands. Rodriguez followed with a double off the wall in right and scored on Young's single to center.
Cleveland took a 3-2 lead in the fourth when Omar Vizquel and Travis Hafner singled to start the inning, then Victor Martinez hit his 11th homer.
But Munson homered in the Tigers' half after Pena drew a leadoff walk and Craig Monroe hit a one-out single.
The Indians cut it to 5-4 in the fifth on Vizquel's RBI single, but Detroit regained its two-run lead in its half when Rodriguez led off with a triple and scored on a passed ball by Martinez.
Hafner homered off reliever Jamie Walker with one out in the eighth.
Munson added an RBI double in the eighth.
"Tonight would have been a good chance for them to give up, and they didn't," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "Four or five times, we had to battle back."
Westbrook allowed six runs and nine hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out eight.
Tigers starter Gary Knotts allowed four runs and eight hits in seven innings.
"We needed it. It was a very big victory for us," Detroit manager Alan Trammell said. "It gives us a big lift coming back from a five-game losing streak with a five-game winning streak."
Notes
- Cleveland LHP C.C. Sabathia will miss only one start after injuring his shoulder June 29. He visited Dr. James Andrews on Monday and all tests were negative.
- The Tigers were without closer Ugueth Urbina, who attended to a family matter. He's expected to return Wednesday.
- The Indians promoted OF Mark Little and RHP Bob Howry from Triple-A Buffalo, and optioned LHP Cliff Bartosh to Buffalo. They also designated RHP Jack Cressend for assignment.
- Cleveland's Casey Blake stretched his hitting streak to 11 games (16-for-44).
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