DETROIT – Justyn-Henry Malloy’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning helped the Detroit Tigers fall from a 3-0 deficit and move closer to the postseason with a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon.

“We believe in what we can achieve,” said Tigers manager AJ Hinch. “Whether that’s magic, whether that’s momentum, whether that’s mojo, whether that’s vibe, whatever, we love it and want more of it.”

Detroit, which has won five straight, is tied with Kansas City for the second and third wild-card spots in the American League, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins.

“We’re bringing the energy right now,” said rookie Colt Keith, who drove in two runs and scored another. “We have such a good team. I love this group.”

The Tigers trailed 3-2 with one out in the eighth, but Riley Greene hit a single off Garrett Cleavinger (7-5) and Matt Vierling drew a walk.

Keith tied the game with an RBI single, leading Malloy – the last player on the Tigers’ bench – to score for Kerry Carpenter. He lifted a fly ball to center and Vierling beat Jose Siri’s throw with ease.

“They have four lefties in their bullpen, and we knew (Malloy) would hit against one of them,” Hinch said. “He’s been waiting for this particular spot all day.”

Beau Brieske (4-4) earned the win with two innings of relief. Jason Foley threw out the ninth pitch for his 27th save.

Rays starter Tyler Alexander allowed four hits and struck out six without walking a batter. He has a 2.00 ERA in two games against Detroit, where he spent the first five seasons of his career.

The Rays took a 2-0 lead in the third period. Ben Rortvedt and Taylor Walls singled with one out and scored on Brandon Lowe’s two-out base hit.

Walls tripled with one out in the fifth and scored on Casey Mize’s wild pitch.

The Tigers got into the game in the sixth when Hunter Bigge struck out Vierling with two outs before Keith hit an RBI triple. Carpenter followed with a pinch-hit single to make it 3-2.

“This is the last baseball team you want to give momentum to,” Cash said. “You’re doing a lot of good right now.”

Kevin Kelly pitched a perfect seventh, extending his scoreless streak to 23 1/3 innings in 25 outs.

NEXT

Rays: Travel to Boston to begin a weekend series with the Red Sox, who need three wins to finish 81-81. RHP Taj Bradley (7-11, 4.30) will start Friday’s opener against RHP Nick Pivetta (6-11, 4.21).

Tigers: Stay three games at home against the White Sox and know that two wins will secure the franchise’s first postseason berth in 10 years. They have not yet announced their rotation for the finals series as it depends on the playoff race.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb