DETROIT – One inning from another costly loss, the Detroit Tigers rallied against Bobby Jenks.

Sean Casey and Placido Polanco hit run-scoring singles off the White Sox closer in the ninth inning, leading the Tigers over Chicago 3-2 Thursday in Gary Sheffield’s return from the disabled list.

“Obviously, this is huge,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “I’m not saying we can’t lose another game, but it is too late in the season to make up many of them.”

Detroit, which closed within three games of the wild card-leading New York Yankees, trailed 2-1 entering the ninth. Sheffield, who hadn’t played since Aug. 21 because of an injured shoulder, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk.

Cardinals 16, Pirates 4

ST. LOUIS – Rick Ankiel isn’t just hitting, he’s turning into a force.

The pitcher-turned-outfielder homered twice and had a career-high seven RBIs, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 16-4 Thursday in a game shortened to eight innings because of rain.

Ankiel hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the second inning for a 5-2 lead against Bryan Bullington (0-1), who made his major league debut five years after he was the No. 1 overall pick in the amateur draft. Ankiel made it 11-3 with a two-run drive in the fifth against John Grabow and added a two-run double in the sixth off Dave Davidson, also making his big league debut.

Brought up Aug. 9 in his first major league appearance since he pitched for the Cardinals in 2004, Ankiel is batting .358 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 23 games. He also homered twice against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 11.

Dodgers 7, Cubs 4

CHICAGO – Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier connected for a go-ahead, three-run homer off Ryan Dempster in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers stunned the Chicago Cubs 7-4 Thursday.

Alfonso Soriano hit two homers for the Cubs, including a three-run drive in the seventh that put Chicago ahead 4-2. But it wasn’t enough to avoid a deflating defeat that dropped the Cubs into a first-place tie with idle Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Dodgers closed within 31/2 games of NL West-leading Arizona. Matt Kemp’s homer off reliever Bobby Howry closed the gap to 4-3 in the eighth, and the Dodgers took the lead in the ninth against Dempster (2-5), who blew a save for the third time in 28 chances.

Russell Martin singled and James Loney followed with another single off Derrek Lee’s glove at first. Ethier followed with a drive over the wall in left-center for a 6-4 lead, and the Dodgers added a run on Michael Wuertz’s wild pitch that allowed Rafael Furcal to come home.

Joe Beimel (4-1) pitched 1 2-3 innings of hitless relief, and Takashi Saito got three outs for his 37th save in 40 chances

Cubs starter Jason Marquis retired his first 14 batters and allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings on a muggy day.

Lowe gave up three runs, five hits and five walks in six innings.

Soriano hit his seventh leadoff homer this season and 39th of his career but Lowe escaped a big inning, thanks to a nice throw from catcher Russell Martin, who sat out Wednesday’s game with a sprained knee.

One out after Soriano’s homer, Derrek Lee singled and Daryle Ward walked. Martin fired to first to pick off Ward for the second out of the inning, and another walk to Mark DeRosa followed before Lowe struck out Jacque Jones. The Cubs also had first and third with two outs in the fourth before Marquis bounced out.

Loney homered to tied the score in the fifth and doubled for a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Soriano hit a three-run homer in the bottom half off Jonathan Broxton, who had given up only one homer in 71 2-3 innings this season.

Soriano leads the Cubs with 22 homers.

Notes: Martin, who hurt his knee trying to score on a fly ball Tuesday night, underwent an MRI exam on Wednesday. He tested the knee in the outfield and bullpen before the game Wednesday. … The Cubs finished their homestand at 5-5.

AP-ES-09-06-07 1722EDT