Polanco Homers Twice, Tigers Top Yanks 6-2

By Doug Sweeney, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 30, 2008 11:07 PM CDT

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Polanco Homers Twice, Tigers Top Yanks 6-2 — Detroit Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont, left, slaps hands with Placido Polanco after Polanco hit an eighth-inning solo home run off New York Yankees reliever Kyle Farnsworth. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

The Detroit Tigers are well on their way to putting their terrible start behind them. Placido Polanco homered twice and Marcus Thames also went deep to help Detroit beat New York 6-2 Wednesday night in the Yankees' first game with Alex Rodriguez on the disabled list.

Jeremy Bonderman pitched into the eighth inning after getting off to a rough start and Gary Sheffield had two hits for Detroit (13-15), which has won seven of nine. The $139 million Tigers opened the season with seven straight losses. With Rodriguez sidelined by a strained right quadriceps, slumping New York managed just two hits after the first inning. The Yankees have scored just 15 runs in their last five games. (Read more baseball stories.)