Verlander, Tigers’ pen shut down Cleveland

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Justin Verlander pitched seven shutout innings and made sure Detroit stayed in step with first-place Chicago in the AL Central, leading the Tigers to a 4-0 win over the downward spiraling Cleveland Indians on Friday night.

Coming through the way he almost always does, Verlander (14-8) allowed six hits. He escaped jams in the fifth and sixth innings with help from Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera, big men best known for their powerful bats, who made stellar defensive plays.

The Tigers came in trailing the first-place White Sox by one game.

Detroit took a 4-0 lead after two innings against Corey Kluber (1-4)

The Indians, who were within 31/2 games of first when they rallied to beat Verlander on July 26, are 16-44 since the All-Star break.

Verlander had been scheduled to pitch Thursday night in Chicago against White Sox ace Chris Sale. But rain postponed the series finale and marquee pitching matchup, pushing the AL’s reigning Cy Young winner back. The one-day delay didn’t have much affect on the Tigers’ top gun, who pitched as if it was the postseason.

Verlander needed some help, though, and got it from Fielder and Cabrera, his beefy corner infielders who both came up golden with their gloves.

The defending AL MVP lost his two previous starts to Cleveland this season, including the July 26 game when he gave up four runs in the seventh and lost 5-3.

The Indians didn’t get a runner to second until the fifth, when Casey Kotchman blooped a leadoff single and went to third on Lonnie Chisenhall’s double.

But Verlander got Matt LaPorta on a weak tapper in front of the plate, then struck out Ezequiel Carrera, setting him up with a 99 mph fastball for strike two and then locking him up with an 89 mph change-up.

Jason Donald followed with a hard grounder down the first-base line that Fielder stopped with a dive that carried him from the infield dirt onto the grass in foul territory.