Gut-trusting win

OAKLAND, Calif. – Alexis Gomez impressed his teammates time and again by routinely hitting long home runs. In batting practice, that is.

Still, Jim Leyland trusted his gut and went with the little-used Gomez as Detroit’s designated hitter for Game 2 of the American League Championship Series – yet another spot-on call by the Tigers manager this postseason.

The result: a 2-0 advantage heading home to Motown.

Gomez hit a go-ahead, two-run single and later added a two-run homer to lead the Tigers to an 8-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday, a somber night following the death of former A’s pitcher Cory Lidle in a plane crash earlier in the day.

A career minor leaguer, Gomez had just one home run in the majors and contributed only six RBIs in 103 at-bats this season.

“He does have big-time power,” Leyland said. “Unfortunately, he showed most of it in batting practice.”

Milton Bradley homered twice for the A’s, and beat out an infield hit with two outs in the ninth inning that loaded the bases.

But closer Todd Jones retired Frank Thomas on a harmless fly for his second save in these playoffs.

“What a challenge,” Jones said. “It was a lot of fun. We’re up 2-0 and we’re going back to Detroit.”

Game 3 in the best-of-7 series is Friday at Detroit’s Comerica Park, featuring Rich Harden for Oakland against former A’s pitcher Kenny Rogers.

Harden, who returned to make three late-season starts after missing more than three months with an elbow injury, did not pitch during the division series sweep of Minnesota.

Rogers pitched shutout ball against the New York Yankees in Game 3.

Leyland, who turned around the Tigers in his first season as their manager, benched righty Marcus Thames and his 26 regular-season home runs in favor of Gomez, who hadn’t been on the field in nearly two weeks and spent much of the year at Triple-A Toledo.

“We just took a shot that maybe, by chance, a lefty may have a shot,” Leyland said beforehand.

Leyland already had to reshuffle his lineup to replace Sean Casey after the first baseman injured his calf in Tuesday’s opener. The moves paid off and the Tigers won their fifth straight postseason game.

Leyland gave Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski a courtesy heads-up about the switch at DH.

“I won’t question who he plays,” Dombrowski said. “I never have. That’s his responsibility. He does it well.”

Jones echoed that.

“When Jim puts out the lineup, it’s the right nine. He’s the only one who has to know the decision,” the reliever said. “If I walk in there on Friday and see my name as the cleanup hitter, I’d expect to get a hit.”

The switch-hitting Bradley homered from both sides of the plate, drove in four runs.

Eric Chavez also homered for the A’s, who didn’t know until arriving at the ballpark that Lidle had been in the small plane. Lidle’s old Oakland jersey hung near the dugout.

Hard-throwing Tigers rookie Justin Verlander struck out six. He got plenty of support from the bats and Jones. Verlander allowed seven hits and four runs in 51/3 innings and four relievers finished it.

The A’s set an ALCS record with six straight strikeouts.

Tigers 8, Athletics 5

a-struck out for Jimenez in the 9th. E—DJimenez (2). LOB—Detroit 5, Oakland 8. 2B—CGuillen (1), Monroe (1), Kotsay 2 (2). HR—Granderson (1), off Street; EChavez (1), off Verlander; AGomez (1), off Loaiza; Bradley 2 (2), off Ledezma, Verlander. RBIs—Granderson (1), Monroe 2 (2), AGomez 4 (4), Inge (3), Bradley 4 (4), EChavez (1). S—NPerez. SF—Monroe, Inge. GIDP—MOrdonez. Runners left in scoring position—Detroit 1 (CGuillen); Oakland 4 (Thomas 3, EChavez). Runners moved up—IRodriguez, Kendall. DP—Oakland 1 (Loaiza, DJimenez and Swisher).

Inherited runners-scored—JKennedy 2-0. IBB—off Gaudin (Polanco) 1. WP—Verlander. Balk—Verlander. T—3:06. A—36,168 (34,077).