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Tigers fall to Braves, 1 1/2 back of WC
- Updated: October 2, 2016
ATLANTA — The Tigers’ control of their postseason destiny slipped from their grasp Saturday as they swung and missed at Aaron Blair curveballs. The Braves’ rookie starter held Detroit’s offense to two runs and 10 strikeouts over six-plus innings, allowing Atlanta’s offense to wear down Detroit’s bullpen for a 5-3 win Saturday night at Turner Field.
While the Braves matched their 2015 total of 67 wins with a game to spare, the Tigers fell to the brink of elimination from the American League Wild Card race. A loss Sunday would knock out the Tigers, with or without a makeup game against the Indians on Monday at Comerica Park. Detroit is 1 1/2 games back of Baltimore and Toronto, which are tied for the two AL Wild Cards.
• Tigers’ Wild Card hopes take hit in loss to Braves
Blair entered his 15th Major League start with an 8.02 ERA and no more than five strikeouts in any outing, but he shut down a Tigers offense that had averaged six runs a game over the past 10 games. Blair struck out five of Detroit’s first six batters, then five of his final 12 after Ian Kinsler doubled home Jarrod Saltalamacchia for a brief Tigers lead in the fourth.
Freddie Freeman’s two-run home run erased that advantage in what ended up being a 37-pitch fourth and final inning for Jordan Zimmermann (9-7). But the difference for the Braves came off Detroit’s bullpen, from Nick Markakis’ sixth-inning solo homer off Alex Wilson to Adonis Garcia’s two-run single off Shane Greene in the seventh.
The Tigers built a golden chance for a rally by loading the bases off a wild Mauricio Cabrera in the eighth, but …
