DETROIT, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Rafael Soriano pitched out of a ninth-inning jam Thursday and saved the New York Yankees' 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Alex Avila led off the Detroit ninth with a double on Soriano's second pitch and was replaced by Gerald Laird. Omar Infante hit the first pitch he saw for a single with Laird stopping at third.
But Soriano got Ramon Santiago on a soft liner to second and Quintin Berry popped out to short before Andy Dirks hit a fly to short center for the final out. That gave Soriano his 27th save.
Mark Teixeira and Eric Chavez hit back-to-back pitches for home runs in the eighth inning that put the Yankees ahead and handed the loss to Joaquin Benoit (1-3). Benoit got one out before Teixeira pulled a shot down the right-field line for his 21st home run this season.
Chavez went to the opposite field on the next pitch for his 12th homer this season.
Raul Ibanez tripled in one run and score another in giving New York a 2-0 lead in the second but Alex Avila hit a two-run home run and Dirks delivered a two-run RBI single in the fifth that put Detroit ahead 3-2.
