OAKLAND, Calif. -- A familiar face helped the Detroit Tigers to a familiar fate.

Brandon Inge hit a three-run home run to help the Oakland A's pull away Friday night as the Detroit Tigers continued a trend of alternating wins and losses with an 11-4 loss to the A's.

It's been one step forward, one step back for the Tigers since April 27, when they saw a losing streak stretch to five games following a 7-6 loss to the New York Yankees. The Tigers claimed a 7-5 victory the next day and have alternated wins and losses ever since.

The Tigers have not won consecutive games since April 18, when they on their fourth consecutive game and completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals. They have played 20 games since then.

Tigers starter Rick Porcello left the game after five innings Friday night with the Tigers trailing 4-2, but the A's broke it open against relief pitcher Duane Below, who had not allowed a run in 14 innings pitched this season coming into the game. Josh Reddick singled home a run with one out to make it 5-2, and Inge hit his three-run home run to left field with two outs to make it 8-2.

That gave Inge four RBIs in the game and eight so far in the series. Inge

in the first game of the four-game series, a

.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Inge is the first player to have four games of at least four RBIs in a five-game span since Lou Gehrig in 1931.

The Tigers scored a run in the top of the first to take an early lead. Austin Jackson led off the game with a double, went to third on a single by Andy Dirks and scored on a double-play grounder off the bat of Miguel Cabrera.

The A's bounced right back with two runs in the bottom of the inning off Porcello. Porcello retired the first two batters he faced, but the next four reached base. Inge singled in a run for the A's during that rally.

The Tigers tied the game in the top of the third. Gerald Laird reached base on an error by Inge, moved to second on a single by Danny Worth, advanced to third on a fly ball to right field by Jackson and scored on a two-out single by Cabrera. That made it 2-2.

But the A's bounced back in the bottom of the inning with two runs to retake the lead. Reddick led off the inning with a home run to right field, and Kila Ka'aihue and Seth Smith followed with back-to-back doubles to make it 4-2.

Reddick hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning off Collin Balester, who gave up the grand slam to Inge the night before, to make it 11-2. It was the first multi-home run game of his career, and he finished the game 4-for-4 with a walk, five RBIs and four runs scored.

The Tiger rallied for a pair of runs in the eighth. Cabrera and Delmon Young had RBI singles in the inning.

Porcello allowed four runs on nine hits and three walks in five innings of work. He struck out four.