Tigers hand Twins season-worst 5th straight loss. Wenceel Pérez hits go-ahead single in 9th

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rookie Wenceel Pérez hit a go-ahead two-out single in the ninth inning and the Detroit Tigers handed the Minnesota Twins their season-worst fifth straight loss, 5-4 on Friday night.

Pérez finished with three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. Kerry Carpenter added four hits and two RBIs for the Tigers.

With the game tied at 4-all in the ninth, Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar (0-1) got the first two outs before giving up a single to Parker Meadows. Thielbar then threw wildly on a pickoff attempt, allowing Meadows to take second. Mark Canha was intentionally walked, setting up Pérez, who drove in the decisive run with a sharp single to center.

The Twins, who won the AL Central last year, have lost 10 of 13 and fell to 6-12, second-worst in the AL ahead of only the division rival Chicago White Sox.

Detroit reliever Andrew Chaffin (2-0) retired all four batters he faced. Jason Foley worked a scoreless ninth for his sixth save. The Tigers are 6-9 since starting the season with five straight wins.

Tigers starter Jack Flaherty gave up four runs — two earned — on four hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings. Minnesota's Joe Ryan gave up four runs and struck out six in 5 1/3 innings.

Trevor Larnach, who was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, hit a two-run homer to right in the first inning, putting the Twins on top 2-1.

The Tigers used speed and timely hitting to score twice in the third. Meadows drew a one-out walk and stole second as Canha struck out. Pérez blooped a single to left to score Meadows. Pérez then stole second and scored on Carpenter's shift-beating single through the vacant shortstop hole.

Detroit added a run in the sixth when Pérez tripled and scored on Carpenter's third hit. But the Twins tied it in the bottom half with the help of two outfield miscues by the Tigers.

After Edouard Julien walked, Ryan Jeffers hit a flyball to short right that Pérez overran, putting runners on second and third with nobody out. Flaherty almost wiggled out of the jam, striking out Alex Kiriloff and Larnach. But on a full-count pitch, Byron Buxton hit a high fly to left that carried to the warning track, where Carpenter let it fall for a two-run double.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: 3B Gio Urshela left the game with right hamstring tightness after running out a grounder in the second inning. He walked slowly back to the dugout accompanied by a trainer and was replaced by Matt Vierling.

UP NEXT

RHP Reese Olson (0-2, 3.86 ERA) will start for the Tigers as the series continues Saturday. Minnesota will send RHP Bailey Ober (0-1, 6.57) to the mound.

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Detroit Tigers' Wenceel Pérez walks back to the dugout after striking out during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Friday, April 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Twins' Trevor Larnach (9) hits a two-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty delivers during the second inning of the team's baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Friday, April 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Detroit Tigers pitcher Andrew Chafin delivers during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Friday, April 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Twins' Trevor Larnach (9) walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Detroit Tigers' Parker Meadows (22) scores on a single by Wenceel Pérez against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

DENVER (AP) — A supremely confident Reggie Jackson was just waiting to let loose as he watched Jamal Murray dribble past Nikola Jokic's high screen with the seconds ticking away on the Los Angeles Lakers' season.

“Just watch our bench, I clearly called, ‘Game!’” Murray's backup said Thursday following the Denver Nuggets' practice at Ball Arena. “I mean, the guy has the ball in his hands, with the shot clock running down, time running out, I haven't seen too many do it better than him.”

One week earlier, in Game 2, Murray's basket over an outstretched Anthony Davis from the right baseline completed a comeback from a 20-point second-half deficit and gave Denver the first buzzer-beater in the franchise's 100-game playoff history.

This time, Murray swept left as Austin Reaves, slowed by the screen, chased him through the lane, where every Laker converged.

As the shot went up, four defenders were in the paint and the fifth was just inches outside the lane. None were in position to deflect or even affect Murray's tiebreaking bucket that sent the defending NBA champion Nuggets onto Round 2 and LeBron James to his earliest playoff exit ever.

No other player in the NBA's 77-year history had ever hit two winners in the final five seconds of a playoff series.

“His poise, his confidence, his belief in himself, obviously his work ethic to be ready and prepared for the moment," Jackson said, rattling off the qualities that make Murray such a sure bet in the clutch.

“The only people who might be more cool, calm and collected than him in that moment are his teammates — because we have the utmost belief in him,” Jackson said.

The most amazing part of Murray's magical night was that he did it while defying coach Michael Malone, who, along with the team's medical staff, tried to talk him into sitting out the game because of a strained left calf that had announced itself 48 hours earlier in Denver's Game 4 loss in Los Angeles.

Instead, Murray logged a playoff-high 41 minutes, scored a team-best 32 points and sealed his reputation as the “Laker Breaker” by sending James home in five games, one fewer than the Suns did in 2021, the only other time the league's career scoring leader failed to advance out of the first round.

Not surprisingly, Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley suggests that containing Murray will be key to Minnesota's success as the Wolves try to parlay their sweep of the Phoenix Suns in Round 1 and avenge last year's first-round loss to the Nuggets. The series starts Saturday in Denver.

“When Murray goes well, they go well, for the most part," Conley said. "We're going to try to limit that as much as we can. He’s a great player. He’s going to make his plays, but we have a lot of guys we can throw at him, a lot of different schemes we’re going to try to throw at him in hopes that it slows him down a little bit.

"But not just him. We’re treating Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, all these guys just as high on our scouting report. Because when they’re playing well, they’re pretty much unbeatable.”

Boosted by some 50-point performances in the bubble, Murray has averaged 24.9 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 58 career playoff games.

Even when he's struggling to find his shot as he was in Game 2, Murray is magical in the fourth quarter

“There's a few guys in the league who play like that: When the fourth quarter comes up, you know that it’s their time and they’re going to step up a couple notches," Conley said. "We definitely know that’s coming. So fourth quarters start, you have to be locked in and understand that you need to be more aggressive.

"Don’t hold your head if he makes a tough shot. That’s what he does. He’s going to make a fadeaway or two, or an and-one, or things that other players might not be able to make and be able to move onto the next possession and figure out how to win the game.”

AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

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Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray reacts after hitting a basket in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, left, argues with referee James Williams in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets assistant coach Popeye Jones, left, hugs guard Jamal Murray after Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. Murray scored 32 points despite a strained calf and sank the game-winner with 3.6 seconds left to win over the Lakers. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) hugs head coach Michael Malone after hitting the game-winning basket at the buzzer against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) hits the game-winning basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during the second half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) is congratulated by teammates after hitting the game-winning basket at the buzzer against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half in Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)