Victor Martinez

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez watches his three-run home run sail toward the seats in right field Thursday night in the 11th inning. The Tigers scored seven runs in the 11th to blow out the Cleveland Indians.

(AP Photo)

CLEVELAND -- The Detroit Tigers might still win the division. They might sneak into the playoffs as a wild-card team. They might miss the playoffs entirely. After 140 games, it is impossible to predict the future.

But one thing is clear: The future is a bit more bright because of a couple of clutch victories in the recent past.

The Tigers looked dead in the water offensively for nine consecutive innings Thursday night. But they sent 10 batters to the plate in the first to take an early lead, then sent 11 to the plate in the 11th while pulling away for an 11-4 win.

Eugenio Suarez broke the game open with a bases-loaded single with one out in the 11th to break a 4-4 tie. The rest of runs were just window dressing after those two.

"We're in the playoff hunt," said Max Scherzer, who started and went six innings. "We need every game possible. For us to be able to dig deep and find a way to come out victorious in this one was huge. We got contributions from everybody."

The Tigers took three of four games from the Cleveland Indians. They blew out the Indians in the first game and were blown out in the third. But the way they won the second game, on a three-run home run by J.D. Martinez in the top of the ninth inning, put them in good position against a division rival.

"We had a couple games on this road trip that have been really good wins," manager Brad Ausmus said. "The J.D. Martinez home run -- that win -- and then tonight are two very good wins that we've had in the last three days. Two of the better wins we've had all year."

The way the series went, with the Tigers winning the first two games and then taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning with Max Scherzer on the mound Thursday, it would have been a tough loss for them to stomach had they let the series finale get away. But Joba Chamberlain and Phil Coke, who has been very good lately, helped bridge the gap until the Tigers offense awoke from nine innings of napping.

The Tigers sent 21 batters to the plate in the first and 11th innings. They sent 33 batters to the plate in the nine innings in between.

The Tigers are one game behind the Kansas City Royals in the division standings. They are a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the second wild-card spot in the American League. They are five games ahead of the Indians, who were just three games back when the series began.

Think about where the Tigers would be had they lost the game Thursday. They would trail the Royals by two games. They would trail the Mariners for the final wild-card spot. The Indians would still have life.

The Tigers now head home in much better shape -- both in the standings and mentally -- than they would have had they let Thursday's game get away.

"It was going to be a big disappointment if we came out on the wrong side," said Victor Martinez, who hit a three-run home run in the 11th. "But we were able to put the big inning together when it counted. That's all that matters. We got a big win."

The Tigers might yet miss the playoffs. They might get eliminated in the wild-card game. But if they win the division, there's a chance they will point to this series as a turning point.

The win Thursday night for the Tigers was a big one. The main reason is: If things had turned out differently it would have been a very tough loss.

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