DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers might be down and might be out but they're not done.

Left fielder Rajai Davis hit a tie-breaking two-run home run on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the eighth inning Friday night to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 victory over Minnesota that stalled the Twins' drive for the second wild-card berth.

Minnesota entered play trailing Houston by 1 1/2 games for the No. 2 wild-card spot but did not lose any ground as the Astros lost to the Rangers.

Detroit may be consigned to last place in the American League Central Division after winning it four years in a row and Brad Ausmus could be down to his last eight or nine games as manager of the Tigers, but the club has now won seven of its last 10 games and eight of 12.

And there's been no let up, Ausmus said.

"That was an excellent at-bat by Raj even though he ended up flying out," Ausmus said of a 14-pitch at-bat Davis had the inning before his game-deciding eighth home run of the season. "We've had some other guys do that where, even though we're out of the playoff picture, they're still battling.

Third baseman Nick Castellanos got his third hit of the game and second double to lead off the eighth. Former Twins' closer left-hander Glen Perkins (2-5) struck out the next two batters before delivering a flat full-count slider that Davis drove the other way over the right-field wall to cap a Detroit comeback from a 4-0 deficit.

Perkins has suffered from neck and lower back problems that have compromised his effectiveness and led to manager Paul Molitor handing his closer role to right-hander Kevin Jepsen.

"He's still one of my better options at the end of a game," Molitor said. "This one hurts.

"We had it set up fairly well for the last nine outs. We have to move on. We can't control what other people are doing."

Right-hander Alex Wilson (3-3) earned the win for the Tigers by pitching a scoreless eighth. Right-hander Neftali Feliz earned his ninth save of the season, and his third with Detroit.

Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez laced a two-run double to left-center to tie the score 4-4 in the seventh. Shortstop Dixon Machado started the rally with a one-out single. Center fielder Anthony Gose walked and second baseman Ian Kinsler hit a ground-rule RBI double to deep left-center that would have scored two had it not bounced over the fence.

Gose and Kinsler scored on Martinez's double, which followed an intentional walk to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

"That Gose walk hurt because of the way it set up the rest of the inning," Molitor said. "Perkins had trouble getting the ball over the plate and walked Cabrera and he left one up to Martinez."

Twins' starter right-hander Mike Pelfrey gave up six hits in his five innings but only allowed one run. Pelfrey struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.

Tigers left-hander Matt Boyd went six innings, walking four and striking out four, while allowing just one hit, a three-run triple.

Minnesota got just two hits in the game off four Detroit pitchers.

Detroit scored its first run in the fifth when doubled, stopped at third on a single to right by catcher James McCann and scored on a force out by Machado. That cut Detroit's deficit to 4-1.

A brief interruption in play prior to the top of the fifth due to an incident in the stands unsettled Boyd. He walked the first two Minnesota batters he faced that inning, and it led to four runs.

"Yeh, you could say it threw me off," Boyd said. "That's a rookie mistake. It shouldn't happen. That's unacceptable on my part.

"I got my focus back after that but I've got to be better than that. I wish I could get those two hitters (walked) back and that changes the complexion of the whole inning."

NOTES: Minnesota re-instated RHP Ricky Nolasco (right ankle surgery) off the 60-day disabled list, replacing him on the disabled list with LHP Logan Darnell, who has pneumonia. Nolasco will work out of the bullpen. ... Detroit manager Brad Ausmus, on his possibly being fired when the season is over: "I'll worry about the future when the past is done. Hey, that sounds like a Yogi-ism." ... The Twins have now won 11 of their last 17 road games but are 32-43 overall on the road. ... Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera returned to the Tigers' lineup Friday after missing a game with a sore lower back.