American League-worst Texas loses again
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit Tigers know they have a lot of power in their lineup. They just didn't count Ramon Santiago among their sluggers - until Tuesday night.

Santiago homered for the first time since 2003 and drove in three runs to help the Tigers beat the Texas Rangers 10-2.

Magglio Ordonez also homered, giving him 1,000 RBIs for his career, while Edgar Renteria had four hits.

The Rangers are 2-10 since April 11.

"We're in a funk," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "First it was our defense, and now pitching. It seems to have come all the way around on us."

Texas (7-14 this year, the worst record in the American League) faces Detroit again tonight, a 6 p.m. start.

Justin Verlander (1-3) struggled early, giving up five hits in the first two innings, but got out of it with only one run allowed. He blanked the Rangers in his last four innings, giving up one more hit, to lower his season ERA to 5.93.

"I had some trouble with my command early, but I expected that, because I've made some adjustments since my last start," he said. "This isn't exactly what I wanted - I want to be going more than six innings - but I'll take it."

Vicente Padilla (2-2) allowed seven runs and eight hits in three innings. Seven of the hits went for extra bases, including three home runs.

"I had a couple good innings, and then things went wrong," Padilla said through an interpreter. "I didn't make any pitches. I don't feel bad, because it was just one outing, but I have to work to get better."

After Frank Catalanotto's second inning homer made it 1-0, the Tigers came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning on a run-scoring groundout by Brandon Inge and Santiago's RBI double.

The Tigers took control with five runs in the third. With one out, Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera hit back-to-back homers over the left-field bullpens, and Jacque Jones followed with a triple to center.

Renteria's single made it 5-1, and Santiago increased the margin to six with Detroit's third homer of the inning and his first since Aug. 1, 2003.

Josh Hamilton's sacrifice fly made it 7-2 in the seventh, but the Tigers put the game away with three runs in the eighth.