Saturday, August 26, 2006
For the first time since July 19, the Tigers are fewer than five games up on the field.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- If they're not careful, the Detroit Tigers are going to get caught by their tails.
Rookie Joe Inglett's two-run triple off Justin Verlander highlighted Cleveland's six-run fifth inning that sent the Indians to an 8-5 win Saturday night over the Tigers, who have lost four straight and maybe their stranglehold on the AL Central.
For the first time since July 19, the Tigers, who led the division by 10 games on Aug. 7, are less than five games up on the field. They've now lost seven of nine and dropped to 5-13 since Aug. 9.
More troubling, their latest loss came after manager Jim Leyland warned his team "to step it up."
Guts it out
Jake Westbrook (11-8) gutted out seven innings, allowing five runs and 12 hits to win for the fourth time in five starts. He walked three, didn't record a strikeout and was helped by three double plays.
Jason Davis worked a perfect eighth and Tom Mastny, Cleveland's newest closer, pitched a perfect ninth for his third save.
Jason Michaels had three hits off Verlander (15-7), scored twice and made a diving catch in left for the Indians, who have won eight straight at Jacobs Field.
Craig Monroe homered for the slumping Tigers.
Trailing 5-2, the Indians scored six times to chase Verlander, the hard-throwing rookie who was in line for his 16th win but lost for the third time in four starts.
After Grady Sizemore singled and Michaels hit a ground-rule double, Verlander struck out Travis Hafner with a 100 mph fastball. Ryan Garko, though, followed by slicing a two-run double to right, and after Shin-Soo Choo singled, Jhonny Peralta's broken-bat RBI single tied it 5-5.
The scrappy Inglett then fouled off three straight 3-2 pitches before lining a triple into center, giving the Indians a 7-5 lead and bringing Leyland out of the dugout to get the ball from Verlander.
DETROITCLEVELAND
abrhbiabrhbi
Grndsn cf5100Szmore cf4220
Monroe lf4221Mchels lf4231
DYong dh4121Hafner dh4011
MOrdz rf4012Garko 1b4112
CGillen ss4120Choo rf4110
IRdrgz c4010JhPlta ss4111
Casey 1b4000Inglett 2b4122
NPerez 2b3021Shppch c3011
Inge 3b4020Marte 3b4000
Totals365125Totals358128
Detroit110030000--5
Cleveland00206000x--8
E--Michaels (2). DP--Cleveland 3. LOB--Detroit 8, Cleveland 5. 2B--Sizemore (44), Michaels 2 (25), Garko (5). 3B--Inglett (3). HR--Monroe (22). S--Shoppach.
IPHRERBBSO
Detroit
Verlander L,15-74 2-3108816
Miner2 1-310003
Rodney110002
Cleveland
Wstbrk W,11-87125530
JaDavis100011
Mastny S,3100000
Umpires--Home, Eric Cooper; First, Gerry Davis; Second, Chad Fairchild; Third, Bill Miller. T--2:49. A--29,138.
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