DETROIT (AP)—Detroit Tigers All-Star third baseman Brandon Inge will undergo surgery on both knees next month. The team said Thursday that the Nov. 3 procedure at the Detroit Medical Center will address patella tendinitis that plagued Inge throughout this past season. Inge is expected to be ready for the start of spring training in February.

Alexi Casilla singled home the winning run with one out in the 12th inning and the Minnesota Twins rallied past Detroit 6-5 in the AL Central tiebreaker last night, completing a colossal collapse for the Tigers.

MINNEAPOLIS—The Minnesota Twins seem to think that 162 regular-season games aren’t enough. The Twins will host the Detroit Tigers today in a tiebreaker for the American League Central title and a trip the playoffs. It is the second straight season that the Twins have needed a 163rd game to finish the season, a first in league history.

BIRMINGHAM, Mich.—Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was drunk—three times above Michigan’s legal limit for driving, according to police—between two key games over the weekend as his team was trying to win the American League Central title. The 26-year-old Venezuelan first baseman was taken to a police station Saturday after arriving at his suburban Detroit home at 5 a.m. and getting into a fight with his wife, Birmingham Police Chief Richard Patterson said.

Justin Verlander and Ryan Raburn gave the Detroit Tigers at least one more game. Verlander, a former Goochland and Old Dominion star, improved his record to 19-9, and Detroit edged visiting Chicago 5-3.

MINNEAPOLIS - Nick Punto’s voice was hoarse and he strained to describe how the Minnesota Twins have rallied from seven games down in less than a month to push the AL Central race to the final day. “It’s been Game 7 for the last two weeks,“ Punto croaked. And, thanks in large part to Michael Cuddyer, for one more day. Cuddyer (Chesapeake) hit a solo home run in the eighth inning, lifting the Twins to a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals yesterday that moved them into a tie with the Detroit Tigers.

DETROIT - Jake Peavy delivered the kind of performance the Detroit Tigers desperately need. Peavy delayed Detroit’s chance to move closer to the AL Central title, pitching the Chicago White Sox past the Tigers 8-0 last night. Detroit’s lead was cut to one game by Minnesota, which built a big lead and hung on to defeat Kansas City. Both teams have two games left.

DETROIT - Jake Peavy delayed Detroit’s chance to move closer to the AL Central title, pitching the Chicago White Sox past the slumping Tigers 8-0 last night. The Tigers went into the final weekend with a two-game lead over Minnesota, but got off to a bad start when Scott Podsednik hit a leadoff home run. Detroit lost for the fourth time in six games, all while the Twins were taking a big lead in last night’s game against Kansas City.

Justin Verlander kept the Detroit Tigers on top in the AL Central, pitching eight innings in a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins last night that salvaged a split of their key doubleheader.

Justin Verlander kept the Detroit Tigers on top in the AL Central, pitching eight innings in a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins last night that salvaged a split of their key doubleheader. Detroit increased its division lead to two over Minnesota, which won the day game 3-2 in 10 innings, with two games left in the series and five to go in the regular season.

Not only did the Detroit Lions feast upon the Washington Redskins on Sunday, but the Tigers sit atop the American League’s Central Division. The Tigers’ run for the pennant prompted Sports Illustrated to credit the team with lifting a sagging city’s spirits. Humans cannot live without clichés. Winning teams make fans feel better; they sometimes boost community morale. The glory years of the Steel Curtain, for instance, lent Pittsburgh a modicum of relief from decades of industrial decline. The football Steelers proved no substitute for jobs in mills, however; despite four Super Bowls in six years, Pittsburgh’s slide persisted. The Steelers have won two more Super Bowls since, yet despite pockets that appeal to observers such as ourselves the golden age has passed and will not return.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Justin Verlander picked up his 16th win of the season, Adam Everett hit a tiebreaking RBI single during a three-run ninth and the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 last night. Verlander (16-7) tied New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia for the AL lead in victories after allowing one run and four hits over eight innings. The former Goochland High School and Old Dominion University standout has won three consecutive starts.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Detroit Tigers all-star Brandon Inge has dedicated two recent homers to pediatric patients he knows at Mott Children’s Hospital. And now, they’re making requests. “Can you try to hit a home run?“ 11-year-old Jonelle Bailey asked Inge yesterday afternoon from her hospital bed during his latest visit. “I’ll try,“ Inge said, looking back with a smile.

DETROIT—Former Goochland and Old Dominion star Justin Verlander is starting to sense the Detroit Tigers have the intangibles that helped them reach the World Series a few years ago. Placido Polanco hit a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting Detroit to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday. Third baseman Brandon Inge, a former VCU standout, sealed the victory, leaping to snag B.J. Upton’s high hopper down the line with a runner on first and throwing across the diamond for the final out.

BALTIMORE - The Detroit Tigers bolstered their offense for a pennant drive by obtaining first baseman Aubrey Huff from the Baltimore Orioles yesterday for a minor leaguer. “I’ve been in last place basically my whole career, so this is an exciting time for me,“ Huff said. “I’m looking forward to it.“ The Tigers began yesterday leading the Chicago White Sox by 2½ games in the AL Central. The last-place Orioles obtained pitcher Brett Jacobson from Detroit and assigned the right-hander to Class A Frederick.