DETROIT — Justin Upton hit his second home run of the game to lead off the 12th inning Monday as the Detroit Tigers snapped a three-game losing skid with an 8-7 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
With Vidal Nuno (0-1) working his third inning, Upton cranked a 2-2 pitch over the fence in left center to end the contest. It was his eighth home run of the season.
Anibal Sanchez (4-7) received the victory for working a scoreless top of the 12th and stranding a runner on third with one out.
Upton hit a two-run home run to dead center field with one out in the seventh inning to give Detroit a 7-6 lead, but Seattle tied it in the eighth on a two-out double by Ketel Marte followed by an RBI single by Leonys Martin.
Mike Pelfrey came into the game having allowed 90 hits and 30 walks in 71 1/3 innings, and he gave up 12 hits plus a walk in his five innings of work Monday. Nine hits were singles, two home runs.
Nathan Karns also pitched five innings, allowing seven hits and striking out six while walking three.
A 2-0 Detroit lead in the first was achieved on a mammoth home run to center by Miguel Cabrera was wiped out by four Seattle runs in the second.
Kyle Seager led off with his 14th home run, Marte had an RBI single and Seth Smith lined a two-run single to right.
Maybin walked with one out in the first against Karns and Cabrera hit his 15th home run, which was logged at 454 feet. It landed atop the concrete catwalk adjacent to the center-field background and skipped into the street beyond.
The Tigers loaded the bases in the second on a single, double and hit batter with nobody out but only managed one run, when Cameron Maybin grounded into a double play to cut their deficit to 4-3.
Maybin’s two-run triple in the fourth gave Detroit back the lead 5-4, but Adam Lind hit a two-run home run in the fifth, his 10th, to put Seattle back on top 6-5.
NOTES: Journeyman RHP Dustin Molleken, 31, has been brought up from Triple-A Toledo by Detroit to help an overworked bullpen. He has pitched for 11 minor-league teams over 13 seasons without throwing a pitch in the majors. … Seattle RHP Taijuan Walker reportedly has returned to Seattle to have an MRI on the sore tendon in his right foot. He pitched five shutout innings Sunday but was removed due to the injury. … Detroit IF Casey McGehee has been designated for assignment after making one pinch-hit appearance on Saturday. He had been called up earlier on that day. … RHP Zach Lee, acquired by Seattle on Sunday night for SS Chris Taylor, will be slotted at Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners.