By Scott Barancik, editor

Detroit’s Ian Kinsler hit 2 home runs Sunday, and he made sure the second one counted.

Seattle was leading the Tigers 4-3 when Kinsler came up with a man on and two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning. Down 1-and-2 in the count to reliever Mark Lowe, who entered the game with a 0.62 ERA and no home runs yielded this season, Kinsler pounded a 96mph fastball into the left-field stands. The score stood as Detroit won the game 5-4.

Kinsler also hit a solo HR in the 1st inning. (You can see both home runs here.) Yesterday’s was his 13th multi-HR game but the first since 9/7/2011.

After the game, Kinsler joked about Lowe, his former Texas Rangers teammate. “He’ll probably send me a text,” Kinsler said. “He’ll probably send me something nasty because that’s just the way he is. He’s a jokester. He’s a great teammate to have. But tonight we’re on different teams, and we have to compete.”

Kinsler, 33, told MLB.com he hoped Sunday’s win sent a message to his teammates and Detroit’s front office that a playoff run was still possible. At 46-46, the Tigers are in third place in the A.L. Central, 9.5 games behind the division-leading Royals.

Yesterday’s game came amid a season-long power drought for Kinsler, who averaged 23 HRs per 162 games through the first nine years of his career but has just 5 round-trippers in 91 games this season.

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