AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: C Granderson hit for R Raburn. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 2 CLEVELAND 4 TOP, 8TH DUE UP FOR DETROIT: C Granderson (.298, 22 HR, 72 RBI)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - DETROIT 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 CLEVELAND 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 4 6 0 (BOT 8) CURRENT PITCHERS: DET - NATE ROBERTSON CLE - RAFAEL BETANCOURT DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: A CABRERA (.289, 1-FOR-3, RBI) T HAFNER (.252, 0-FOR-3) V MARTINEZ (.303, 0-FOR-2, BB)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">DETROIT (2) VS CLEVELAND (4) - MID 8TH - IN PROGRESS DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Raburn cf 3 0 1 2 0 1 0 .301 a-C Granderson ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .298 P Polanco 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .342 G Sheffield dh 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 .271 M Ordonez rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .353 C Guillen 1b 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 .297 M Thames lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .238 M Hessman 3b 3 1 1 0 0 2 1 .227 M Rabelo c 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .248 R Santiago ss 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 .298 Totals 31 2 7 2 2 8 14 a-walked for R Raburn in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - R Santiago (4, C Sabathia); C Guillen (33, C Sabathia). RBI - R Raburn 2 (22). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Thames 2, M Ordonez 1, M Rabelo 1. Team LOB - 7. BASERUNNING: SB - C Guillen (12, 3rd base off C Sabathia/V Martinez). FIELDING: DP: 3 (P Polanco-R Santiago-C Guillen 2, R Santiago-P Polanco-C Guillen). CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg G Sizemore cf 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .272 A Cabrera 2b 3 0 1 1 0 1 2 .289 T Hafner dh 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 .252 V Martinez c 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .303 R Garko 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .293 J Peralta ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .270 C Blake 3b 2 2 1 1 1 0 2 .266 F Gutierrez rf 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 .272 J Michaels lf 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 .275 Totals 24 4 6 4 3 5 7 BATTING: 2B - F Gutierrez (13, N Robertson); J Michaels (11, N Robertson). HR - C Blake (18, 3rd inning off N Robertson 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - C Blake (73), F Gutierrez (36), J Michaels (37), A Cabrera (18). GIDP - A Cabrera, T Hafner, C Blake. Team LOB - 3. BASERUNNING: SB - C Blake (4, 2nd base off N Robertson/M Rabelo). ---------------------------------------------------- DETROIT - 002 000 00 -- 2 CLEVELAND - 001 030 0 -- 4 ---------------------------------------------------- DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era N Robertson 7 6 4 4 3 5 1 4.94 CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era C Sabathia 7 5 2 2 1 7 0 3.19 R Betancourt 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 1.46 WP - N Robertson. HBP - G Sizemore (by N Robertson). Pitches-strikes: N Robertson 105-64; C Sabathia 109-76; R Betancourt 25-18. Ground balls-fly balls: N Robertson 10-6; C Sabathia 7-7; R Betancourt 0-2. Batters faced: N Robertson 28; C Sabathia 27; R Betancourt 6. UMPIRES: HP--Gary Darling. 1B--Jerry Meals. 2B--Larry Poncino. 3B--Paul Emmel. Weather: 73 degrees, sunny. Wind: 6 mph, out to center.</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: C Granderson in center field. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 2 CLEVELAND 4 BOTTOM, 8TH DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: A Cabrera (.289, 1-FOR-3, RBI)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - PITCHING CHANGE DET: BOBBY SEAY (3-0, 2.53) STARTING THE 8TH CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4 DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: A CABRERA (.289, 1-FOR-3, RBI)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: B Seay relieved N Robertson. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 2 CLEVELAND 4 BOTTOM, 8TH DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: A Cabrera (.289, 1-FOR-3, RBI)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - DETROIT 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 CLEVELAND 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 4 6 0 (TOP 9) CURRENT PITCHERS: DET - BOBBY SEAY CLE - RAFAEL BETANCOURT DUE UP FOR DETROIT: M HESSMAN (.227, 1-FOR-3) M RABELO (.248, 0-FOR-3) R SANTIAGO (.298, 1-FOR-3)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">DETROIT (2) VS CLEVELAND (4) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Raburn cf 3 0 1 2 0 1 0 .301 a-C Granderson ph-cf 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .298 P Polanco 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .342 G Sheffield dh 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 .271 M Ordonez rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .353 C Guillen 1b 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 .297 M Thames lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .238 M Hessman 3b 3 1 1 0 0 2 1 .227 M Rabelo c 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .248 R Santiago ss 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 .298 Totals 31 2 7 2 2 8 14 a-walked for R Raburn in the 8th. BATTING: 2B - R Santiago (4, C Sabathia); C Guillen (33, C Sabathia). RBI - R Raburn 2 (22). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Thames 2, M Ordonez 1, M Rabelo 1. Team LOB - 7. BASERUNNING: SB - C Guillen (12, 3rd base off C Sabathia/V Martinez). FIELDING: DP: 3 (P Polanco-R Santiago-C Guillen 2, R Santiago-P Polanco-C Guillen). CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg G Sizemore cf 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .272 A Cabrera 2b 4 0 1 1 0 2 2 .287 T Hafner dh 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .252 V Martinez c 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .302 R Garko 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .293 J Peralta ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .270 C Blake 3b 2 2 1 1 1 0 2 .266 F Gutierrez rf 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 .272 J Michaels lf 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 .275 Totals 27 4 6 4 3 6 7 BATTING: 2B - F Gutierrez (13, N Robertson); J Michaels (11, N Robertson). HR - C Blake (18, 3rd inning off N Robertson 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - C Blake (73), F Gutierrez (36), J Michaels (37), A Cabrera (18). GIDP - A Cabrera, T Hafner, C Blake. Team LOB - 3. BASERUNNING: SB - C Blake (4, 2nd base off N Robertson/M Rabelo). ---------------------------------------------------- DETROIT - 002 000 00 -- 2 CLEVELAND - 001 030 00 -- 4 ---------------------------------------------------- DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era N Robertson 7 6 4 4 3 5 1 4.94 B Seay 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.47 CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era C Sabathia 7 5 2 2 1 7 0 3.19 R Betancourt 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 1.46 WP - N Robertson. HBP - G Sizemore (by N Robertson). Pitches-strikes: N Robertson 105-64; B Seay 11-7; C Sabathia 109-76; R Betancourt 25-18. Ground balls-fly balls: N Robertson 10-6; B Seay 1-1; C Sabathia 7-7; R Betancourt 0-2. Batters faced: N Robertson 28; B Seay 3; C Sabathia 27; R Betancourt 6. UMPIRES: HP--Gary Darling. 1B--Jerry Meals. 2B--Larry Poncino. 3B--Paul Emmel. Weather: 73 degrees, sunny. Wind: 6 mph, out to center.</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - PITCHING CHANGE CLE: JOE BOROWSKI (4-5, 5.13) STARTING THE 9TH CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4 DUE UP FOR DETROIT: M HESSMAN (.227, 1-FOR-3)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: J Borowski relieved R Betancourt. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 2 CLEVELAND 4 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR DETROIT: M Hessman (.227, 1-FOR-3)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: S Casey hit for M Hessman. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 2 CLEVELAND 4 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR DETROIT: S Casey (.287, 3 HR, 49 RBI)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE PLAY: T Perez hit for R Santiago. SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 2 OUTS CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 2 CLEVELAND 4 TOP, 9TH DUE UP FOR DETROIT: T Perez (.429, 0 HR, 10 RBI)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - DETROIT 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 CLEVELAND 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 x 4 6 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: DET - NATE ROBERTSON, BOBBY SEAY (8TH) AND MIKE RABELO CLE - C.C. SABATHIA, RAFAEL BETANCOURT (8TH), JOE BOROWSKI (9TH) AND VICTOR MARTINEZ HOME RUNS: DET - NONE CLE - CASEY BLAKE (18) OFF NATE ROBERTSON IN THE 3RD, 0 ON</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - DETROIT 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 CLEVELAND 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 x 4 6 0 (FINAL) BATTERIES: DET - NATE ROBERTSON, BOBBY SEAY (8TH) AND MIKE RABELO CLE - C.C. SABATHIA, RAFAEL BETANCOURT (8TH), JOE BOROWSKI (9TH) AND VICTOR MARTINEZ WP - C.C. SABATHIA (18-7) LP - NATE ROBERTSON (8-12) SAVE - JOE BOROWSKI (42) HOME RUNS: DET - NONE CLE - CASEY BLAKE (18) OFF NATE ROBERTSON IN THE 3RD, 0 ON TIME: 2:45 ATT: 32,511 PROBABLES: OAK - JOE BLANTON (14-9, 3.78) CLE - FAUSTO CARMONA (17-8, 3.07) PROBABLES: KAN - BILLY BUCKNER (1-1, 4.30) DET - JAIR JURRJENS (3-1, 2.84)</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">DETROIT (2) VS CLEVELAND (4) - FINAL DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg R Raburn cf 3 0 1 2 0 1 0 .301 a-C Granderson ph-cf 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .298 P Polanco 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .342 G Sheffield dh 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 .271 M Ordonez rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .353 C Guillen 1b 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 .297 M Thames lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .238 M Hessman 3b 3 1 1 0 0 2 1 .227 b-S Casey ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .287 M Rabelo c 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .247 R Santiago ss 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 .298 c-T Perez ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .423 Totals 34 2 7 2 2 8 14 a-walked for R Raburn in the 8th; b-grounded to second for M Hessman in the 9th; c-popped out to second for R Santiago in the 9th. BATTING: 2B - R Santiago (4, C Sabathia); C Guillen (33, C Sabathia). RBI - R Raburn 2 (22). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Thames 2, M Ordonez 1, M Rabelo 1. Team LOB - 7. BASERUNNING: SB - C Guillen (12, 3rd base off C Sabathia/V Martinez). FIELDING: DP: 3 (P Polanco-R Santiago-C Guillen 2, R Santiago-P Polanco-C Guillen). CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg G Sizemore cf 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .272 A Cabrera 2b 4 0 1 1 0 2 2 .287 T Hafner dh 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .252 V Martinez c 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .302 R Garko 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .293 J Peralta ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .270 C Blake 3b 2 2 1 1 1 0 2 .266 F Gutierrez rf 3 1 1 1 0 1 0 .272 J Michaels lf 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 .275 Totals 27 4 6 4 3 6 7 BATTING: 2B - F Gutierrez (13, N Robertson); J Michaels (11, N Robertson). HR - C Blake (18, 3rd inning off N Robertson 0 on, 0 Out). RBI - C Blake (73), F Gutierrez (36), J Michaels (37), A Cabrera (18). GIDP - A Cabrera, T Hafner, C Blake. Team LOB - 3. BASERUNNING: SB - C Blake (4, 2nd base off N Robertson/M Rabelo). ---------------------------------------------------- DETROIT - 002 000 000 -- 2 CLEVELAND - 001 030 00x -- 4 ---------------------------------------------------- DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era N Robertson (L, 8-12) 7 6 4 4 3 5 1 4.94 B Seay 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.47 CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era C Sabathia (W, 18-7) 7 5 2 2 1 7 0 3.19 R Betancourt (H, 28) 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 1.46 J Borowski (S, 42) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.04 WP - N Robertson. HBP - G Sizemore (by N Robertson). Pitches-strikes: N Robertson 105-64; B Seay 11-7; C Sabathia 109-76; R Betancourt 25-18; J Borowski 12-8. Ground balls-fly balls: N Robertson 10-6; B Seay 1-1; C Sabathia 7-7; R Betancourt 0-2; J Borowski 2-1. Batters faced: N Robertson 28; B Seay 3; C Sabathia 27; R Betancourt 6; J Borowski 3. UMPIRES: HP--Gary Darling. 1B--Jerry Meals. 2B--Larry Poncino. 3B--Paul Emmel. T--2:45. Att--32,511. Weather: 73 degrees, sunny. Wind: 6 mph, out to center.</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DETROIT (2) AT CLEVELAND (4) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DETROIT 3RD: M Hessman singled to center. M Rabelo flied out to left. R Santiago doubled to deep left, M Hessman to third. R Raburn singled to left, M Hessman and R Santiago scored. P Polanco struck out swinging. G Sheffield walked, R Raburn to second. M Ordonez flied out to center. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 0. CLEVELAND 3RD: C Blake homered to left. F Gutierrez struck out swinging. J Michaels walked. G Sizemore singled to center, J Michaels to third. A Cabrera grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, G Sizemore out at second.(1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 1. CLEVELAND 5TH: J Peralta popped out to second. C Blake walked. C Blake stole second. F Gutierrez doubled to left, C Blake scored. J Michaels doubled to left, F Gutierrez scored. G Sizemore hit by pitch. A Cabrera singled to left center, J Michaels scored, G Sizemore to third. T Hafner grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, A Cabrera out at second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4.</div>
AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DETROIT (2) AT CLEVELAND (4) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Detroit Starting Lineups -- R Raburn CF, P Polanco 2B, G Sheffield DH, M Ordonez RF, C Guillen 1B, M Thames LF, M Hessman 3B, M Rabelo C, R Santiago SS, N Robertson LHP. Cleveland Starting Lineups -- G Sizemore CF, A Cabrera 2B, T Hafner DH, V Martinez C, R Garko 1B, J Peralta SS, C Blake 3B, F Gutierrez RF, J Michaels LF, C Sabathia LHP. Umpires -- Gary Darling (HP), Jerry Meals (1B), Larry Poncino (2B), Paul Emmel (3B). Gametime Weather: 73 degrees, Sunny, wind out to center at 6 mph. DETROIT 1ST: R Raburn struck out swinging. P Polanco flied out to left. G Sheffield flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 0, CLEVELAND 0. CLEVELAND 1ST: G Sizemore grounded out to first. A Cabrera struck out swinging. T Hafner struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 0, CLEVELAND 0. DETROIT 2ND: M Ordonez flied out to right. C Guillen grounded out to shortstop. M Thames flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 0, CLEVELAND 0. CLEVELAND 2ND: V Martinez grounded out to third. R Garko flied out to left. J Peralta lined out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 0, CLEVELAND 0. DETROIT 3RD: M Hessman singled to center. M Rabelo flied out to left. R Santiago doubled to deep left, M Hessman to third. R Raburn singled to left, M Hessman and R Santiago scored. P Polanco struck out swinging. G Sheffield walked, R Raburn to second. M Ordonez flied out to center. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 0. CLEVELAND 3RD: C Blake homered to left. F Gutierrez struck out swinging. J Michaels walked. G Sizemore singled to center, J Michaels to third. A Cabrera grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, G Sizemore out at second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 1. DETROIT 4TH: C Guillen doubled to left. M Thames struck out looking. C Guillen stole third. M Hessman struck out swinging. M Rabelo grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 1. CLEVELAND 4TH: T Hafner struck out looking. V Martinez grounded out to shortstop. R Garko grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 1. DETROIT 5TH: R Santiago grounded out to second. R Raburn grounded out to third. P Polanco singled to left. G Sheffield flied out to left. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 1. CLEVELAND 5TH: J Peralta popped out to second. C Blake walked. C Blake stole second. F Gutierrez doubled to left, C Blake scored. J Michaels doubled to left, F Gutierrez scored. G Sizemore hit by pitch. A Cabrera singled to left center, J Michaels scored, G Sizemore to third. T Hafner grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, A Cabrera out at second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4. DETROIT 6TH: M Ordonez grounded out to pitcher. C Guillen struck out swinging. M Thames grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4. CLEVELAND 6TH: V Martinez walked. R Garko flied out to right. V Martinez to second on wild pitch by N Robertson. J Peralta singled to center. C Blake grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, J Peralta out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4. DETROIT 7TH: M Hessman struck out swinging. M Rabelo grounded out to second. R Santiago struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4. CLEVELAND 7TH: F Gutierrez flied out to left. J Michaels flied out to right. G Sizemore struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4. DETROIT 8TH: R Betancourt relieved C Sabathia. C Granderson hit for R Raburn. C Granderson walked. P Polanco flied out to right. G Sheffield singled to left center, C Granderson to second. M Ordonez struck out swinging. C Guillen reached on infield single to shortstop, C Granderson to third, G Sheffield to second. M Thames flied out to left. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4. CLEVELAND 8TH: C Granderson in center field. B Seay relieved N Robertson. A Cabrera struck out swinging. T Hafner grounded out to pitcher. V Martinez flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4. DETROIT 9TH: J Borowski relieved R Betancourt. S Casey hit for M Hessman. S Casey grounded out to second. M Rabelo grounded out to shortstop. T Perez hit for R Santiago. T Perez popped out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 2, CLEVELAND 4.</div>
Sabathia wins 18th as Indians sweep Tigers <h3>CLEVELAND 4, DETROIT 2</h3>By Todd Krepop PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- C.C. Sabathia and the Cleveland Indiansare one step closer to returning to the postseason for the firsttime in six years. Sabathia set a career high with his 18th win as Clevelandrallied once again to defeat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2, onWednesday. With the three-game series sweep, Cleveland (90-62) reduced itsmagic number for clinching the American League Central Divisionto three games and moved into a tie with the Boston Red Sox(90-62) for the best record in baseball. The Red Sox play laterWednesday in Toronto. Detroit (83-70), on the other hand, finds ITS postseason hopeson life support. The defending AL champions are 7 1/2 back ofthe Indians in the division and five games behind the New YorkYankees (87-64) for the wild card. Sabathia (18-7), who is the only member on the Indians' rosterfrom the 2001 division-winning team, allowed two runs and fivehits in seven innings. The burly lefthander didn't walk abatter and struck out six. Rafael Betancourt worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighthand Joe Borowski pitched a perfect ninth to pick up hisAL-leading 42nd save in 48 chances. After giving up two runs in the third inning, Sabathia settleddown and showed why he is an AL Cy Young award candidate.Sabathia, who leads the majors with 234 innings pitched thisseason, retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. Detroit had a chance to prevent Sabathia from getting the win inthe eighth inning when they loaded the bases with two outs.But Betancourt got Marcus Thames - who was 4-for-4 with twogrand slams with the bases loaded this season - to fly out toleft to end the inning. Trailing, 2-0, Cleveland battled back with a solo home run byCasey Blake in third off of Tigers starter Nate Robertson(8-12). It was Blake's third home run in his last six games,with the previous two being walkoff blasts. Cleveland scored three in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. Blakestarted the rally with a one-out walk and stole second base.Franklin Gutierrez brought him home with a double down theleft-field line to tie the game. Jason Michaels put the Indians in front when he followed with anRBI double to left and Asdrubal Cabrera plated him later in theframe with a single. Robertson did a good job of minimizing the damage, inducing theIndians to hit into three double plays to keep his team instriking distance. He allowed four runs, six hits and threewalks while striking out five in seven innings. Ryan Raburn drove in both runs for the Tigers, who squanderedleads in each game of this series.
Sabathia wins 18th as Indians sweep Tigers <h3>CLEVELAND 4, DETROIT 2</h3>By Todd Krepop PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- C.C. Sabathia and the Cleveland Indiansare one step closer to returning to the postseason for the firsttime in six years. Sabathia set a career high with his 18th win as Clevelandrallied once again to defeat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2, onWednesday. With the three-game series sweep, Cleveland (90-62) reduced itsmagic number for clinching the American League Central Divisionto three games. "We knew what we needed to do to put this thingto rest and bury (Detroit) for good," Sabathia said. Detroit (83-70), on the other hand, finds its postseason hopeson life support. The defending AL champions are 7 1/2 back ofthe Indians in the division and five games behind the New YorkYankees (87-64) for the wild card. "(Cleveland) is going to be the Central Division champions,obviously," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "They did what achampionship team does. We had our chance. We met them head onand they kicked our butt." Sabathia (18-7), who is the only member on the Indians' rosterfrom the 2001 division-winning team, allowed two runs and fivehits in seven innings. The burly lefthander didn't walk abatter and struck out six. "I feel pretty good," Sabathia said. "But it's more gratifyingto be able to be in the position to make the playoffs. That'sthe main focus, the main goal when you come into springtraining. We're close, but we still have some work to do." Rafael Betancourt worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighthand Joe Borowski pitched a perfect ninth to pick up hisAL-leading 42nd save in 48 chances. After giving up two runs in the third inning, Sabathia settleddown and showed why he is an AL Cy Young candidate. Sabathia,who leads the majors with 234 innings pitched this season,retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. "All I can do is go out and try to help this team win," Sabathiasaid. "I rather go to the World Series than win the Cy Young." Indians manager Eric Wedge said Sabathia has been interregal inthe team's success. "He's a true No. 1," he said. "It's a different atmosphere atthe ballpark when he is pitching. Both teams feel it when he ispitching. He's the guy that keeps streaks going or stops badstreaks." Detroit had a chance to prevent Sabathia from getting the win inthe eighth inning when it loaded the bases with two outs. ButBetancourt got Marcus Thames - who was 4-for-4 with two grandslams with the bases loaded this season - to fly out to left toend the inning. Trailing, 2-0, Cleveland battled back with a solo home run byCasey Blake in third off of Tigers starter Nate Robertson(8-12). It was Blake's third home run in his last six games,with the previous two being walk-off blasts. "I was coming in with a fastball," Robertson said. "He got (hisswing) going early and turned on it. When we tried to throwhim the slow stuff, he hit that. Whatever he's doing, he isdoing it right." Cleveland scored three in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. Blakestarted the rally with a one-out walk and stole second base.Franklin Gutierrez brought him home with a double down theleft-field line to tie the game. "Blake created something for us," Wedge said. "He had anotherbig home run to get us going. He's really stepped up." Jason Michaels put the Indians in front when he followed with anRBI double to left and Asdrubal Cabrera plated him later in theframe with a single. Robertson did a good job of minimizing the damage, inducing theIndians to hit into three double plays to keep his team instriking distance. He allowed four runs, six hits and threewalks while striking out five in seven innings. Ryan Raburn drove in both runs for the Tigers, who squanderedleads in each game of this series. "It was the kiss of death," Leyland said. "We had the lead inall three games, but we couldn't add on and we couldn't hold thelead."
