Maroth finds a way to beat Indians again

The Tigers' pitcher improved to 3-0 this season over the Tribe in a 3-1 win.
COMBINED DISPATCHES
DETROIT -- Mike Maroth wriggled out of trouble all night.
Maroth pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, and Dmitri Young and Brandon Inge homered to give the Detroit Tigers a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Monday night.
"It seems as if every time I pitch against Cleveland, I get into too many jams," said Maroth, who is 3-0 against the Indians this season. "They get guys on base and I find a way to get out of it."
Maroth (11-11) pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and striking out three. Cleveland stranded 11 runners.
Cleveland managed eight hits -- including two doubles and a triple -- but couldn't come up with the meaningful ones.
"I don't know how many runners we left on base, but it was quite a few," manager Eric Wedge said. "I felt like we played with enough energy, but we did not execute situationally, and nobody stepped up from an offensive standpoint when they needed to."
Runners stranded
Ben Broussard tripled to lead off the third inning but didn't score. In the fifth, Ryan Ludwick led off with a double, advanced to third with one out and was left stranded.
Coco Crisp led off the sixth with an infield single and reached third with one out only to be stymied by a double play.
In the past 31 games, the Tribe is 9-22 and has scored an average of 4.2 runs. But that figure is skewed by the 22-0 win over the New York Yankees. Throw out that game and the average drops to 3.7.
In 15 games during this skid, Cleveland has scored three or fewer runs.
Scott Elarton gave up two home runs in five innings, but used 114 pitches. He allowed a two-run homer to Young in the first inning and a solo blast to Inge in the fourth.
Home-run pitch
"The first home run hurt the most, because it was the game-winner," Elarton said. "I couldn't have thrown a better pitch to Dmitri, down and away. Usually, if he hits it, maybe he'd get a single to left. So I have to tip my hat.
"The pitch to Inge was a mistake. I left it over the middle of the plate."
Craig Monroe went 3-for-4 for Detroit.
Maroth ran into trouble in the fifth when Ryan Ludwick doubled and Jhonny Peralta singled, but the lefty fanned Grady Sizemore and Ronnie Belliard bounced into a force play to end the inning.
Travis Hafner drove in the only Indians run with a pinch-hit single in the eighth.