DETROIT, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Alex Avila hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning Wednesday and Detroit held on for its third straight win, 5-4 over Texas.
For the second night in a row the Rangers overcame a three-run deficit only to let the game get away in the late innings.
Since winning 12 in a row last month, Texas has gone 5-9 and six of those nine losses have come by one run.
Avila broke a 3-3 tie with his solo homer off Matt Harrison (9-8) and Ryan Raburn added a homer in the eighth. That gave the Tigers enough of a cushion to survive Mike Napoli's solo shot in the ninth off closer Jose Valderde, who picked up his 30th save.
Avila and Raburn also had RBI singles in the second inning and Miguel Cabrera doubled home a run in the third to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
The inability of Texas to come up with clutch hits has led to its recent slump. The Rangers had runners on first and third with nobody out in the second inning and failed to score.
Doug Fister (4-12) got the win by giving up three runs on eight hits in seven innings. He had gone 10 starts without a victory, failing to earn a win in either June or July.
