DETROIT -- Kyle Gibson got a little help in one of his best starts this season.Its a lot easier to pitch with a 7-1 lead in the fifth, Gibson said.Jorge Polanco homered and drove in four runs, Brian Dozier added three more hits to his torrid second half and the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 8-1 on Tuesday night.The Tigers lost for the third time in 14 games against Minnesota, costing them precious ground in a crowded race for the second AL wild card.Gibson (6-9) dominated, allowing one run and five hits in eight innings. The win ended a four-start winless streak, including when Gibson allowed five runs in five innings to Detroit on Aug. 23.He had a couple nervous moments in there, but that was a great overall outing, Molitor said. Its not easy to get through that lineup with one run on five hits in eight innings.Kennys Vargas homered for the Twins, and Robbie Grossman drove in two runs.Matt Boyd (5-4) took the loss in his worst outing since June. He gave up seven runs, eight hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings.I was just out of sync, Boyd said. I wasnt right physically. I feel great, but my mechanics were off. I couldnt repeat my delivery, and thats a recipe for disaster. That cant happen at this time of year.Dozier entered hitting .318 with 26 homers since the All-Star break. Hes hit safely in 17 consecutive games.Buck Farmer saved Detroits bullpen by pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings, but now the Tigers long reliever will be unavailable for starts by Anibal Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey on Wednesday and Thursday. Sanchez has struggled all year, while Pelfrey will be pitching for the first time since July and is expected to be on a low pitch count.He was outstanding, and it helped us a ton, Ausmus said. That frees up the rest of the bullpen for the next couple days.Boyd got into trouble quickly, allowing two runs before recording an out. Dozier led off with a base hit and Polanco blooped a double down the right-field line. Grossman lined Boyds 11th pitch of the night into center for a two-run single, but the Tigers defense prevented further damage.Vargas hit a hard grounder up the middle, but Jose Iglesias fielded it behind second and got off a backhanded flip toward the bag. Ian Kinsler caught it in his bare hand and threw in one motion to turn the double play.Miguel Cabreras RBI single made it 2-1 in the bottom of the first, but Gibson took control after that.Polancos two-run homer gave the Twins a three-run lead in the third. Grossman followed with a double, giving the top three in Minnesotas order six hits in six plate appearances, including three doubles and a homer.Detroit loaded the bases in the fourth, but Gibson got Jarrod Saltalamacchia to pop out and end the inning.Polanco had two shots at the triple he needed for the cycle but popped out and walked.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: Miguel Sano was out of the lineup one day after leaving a game with stiffness and soreness in his lower back. Sano is listed as day to day but said he expects to miss two or three games.Tigers: Justin Upton didnt play after aggravating a calf injury on Monday. Upton, one of Detroits hottest hitters over the last three weeks, hopes to return within a day or two.OLYMPIAN IN THE HOUSEFor the second day in a row, a medalist from the 2016 Summer Olympics threw out the first pitch. After boxing gold medalist Claressa Shields did the honors on Monday, it was Canadian Shelina Zadorsky, who won bronze as a member of the womens soccer team after a college career at the University of Michigan.UP NEXTThe teams play the third of a four-game series Wednesday night, with Detroits Anibal Sanchez (7-13, 5.69) facing Minnesotas Tyler Duffey (8-11, 6.13). Sanchez has shown some signs of improvement, going 1-1 with a 3.34 ERA in his last five starts. Nike Just Do It Pas Cher . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Tn Just Do It Noir . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. http://www.nikejustdoitchaussure.fr/ . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Nike Just Do It Pas Cher Home .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Air Force One Blanche Pas Cher . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Hashim Amla gets angry about as often as there is a supermoon, but when he addressed the media in defense of his captain Faf du Plessis on Friday, his answers teetered on the tetchy. In response to questions about du Plessis alleged ball-tampering, Amla had said the squad believed the captain had done absolutely nothing wrong, that they all occasionally took field with mouthfuls of something, and asked whether he should brush his teeth after every break in play.Now, the third Test in Adelaide, a dead-rubber that was supposed to hold nothing more than novelty-value as South Africas first day-nighter, is now the centre of several controversies. Chief among them is whether du Plessis ball-tampering hearing will take place before the game and whether that could put his place in doubt.But anyone hoping that Amlas irritation over the episode would spill over into an ego-trip on the misfortunes that have befallen the opposition, was left disappointed.As soon as the question of Australia came up, Amla switched from aggrieved to gracious and confirmed he took no pleasure from the oppositions pain. Ive got a lot of joy enjoying my team-mates and the position we are in but I take no gratification from the difficulties of others, Amla said. We are really happy and glad that we are 2-0 up in the series. Weve got lots to achieve and we want to keep enjoying each others company and keep supporting each other, which is the most important thing in any team environment and hopefully we can continue this until the end of the next Test match.Amlas empathy stems from recent experience - as recent as last summer, when he was at the helm and South Africa were humbled. When youve gone through difficult times, you appreciate the good times, Amla said. You remember the difficult times because it could fall on you at some other stage.A year, or even six months ago, few would havve predicted this.dddddddddddd South Africas golden run on the road had reached its cul de sac and, like any other team, it was expected they would find it tough to compete away from home, especially without some of their best players. That they defied all that has left Amla proud. Winning in Australia is a big moment for any team. I have been fortunate to have it three times now and this time is just as good as any of the other two, he said. Weve come here with a young for themselves in world cricket and in Australia.If du Plessis is found guilty and suspended for the match, it may fall on Amla to put aside his reluctance to lead and take the reins for the final hurrah. If du Plessis is cleared or the hearing is delayed, doubtless, he will be in the public firing line and it will fall on his players to protect him as Amla did.The best way for South Africa to do that will be on the field, not in front of a microphone, and Amla is sure they have arsenal for an Adelaide coup. Their attack, which has already taken ten for under-100 twice in the series so far, is anxious to get its hands on the pink ball and make it talk as much as the angry Amla did.I dont think you would like to be in the nets facing our bowlers at the moment. It has been a really tough ordeal, Amla said. With the pink ball, if it does move around in the evening, it will be a lot harder. We are very fortunate to have a very strong bowling attack who have bowled exceptionally well to put us in the position we are in. All the guys are