Robertson stifles Dodgers as Tigs win 6th straight

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Nate Robertson fields a hopping grounder hit by Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Kemp and throws him out in the second inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2008 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

DETROIT—Nate Robertson pitched six shutout innings, Marcus Thames and Brandon Inge hit back-to-back homers and the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 Sunday for their sixth straight win.

Robertson (5-6) allowed four hits and walked none, winning for the fourth time in five starts. Carlos Guillen had three hits and an RBI for Detroit, which finished with 14 hits.

The Dodgers scored four runs in the ninth inning but Todd Jones got Juan Pierre to fly out to center with a runner on second to earn his 12th save.

Russell Martin hit a two-run homer and Jeff Kent had an RBI single for Los Angeles, which has lost five straight.

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw worked four scoreless innings but was replaced by Chan Ho Park (2-2) after a 47-minute rain delay in the top of the fifth. Park allowed five runs and eight hits in 1 1-3 innings.

Placido Polanco and Miguel Cabrera had RBI singles, and Guillen doubled in a run in the fifth. Thames led off the sixth with his 10th homer of the season and Inge followed with his sixth of the year.

Notes:@ Tigers slugger Gary Sheffield, sidelined with an oblique strain and shoulder problems, is scheduled to start a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland on Monday. ... Dodgers manager Joe Torre said the team most likely would move a minor league pitcher into the rotation if Brad Penny ends up on the disabled list. Penny had shoulder pain during Saturday's loss to the Tigers and is scheduled for an MRI exam on Monday. ... The Dodgers lost their designated hitter by moving Martin to catcher in the eighth, and had to use Delwyn Young as a pinch hitter for reliever Jonathan Broxton in the ninth.