GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: DETROIT (30-22) at CLEVELAND (32-19)

AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - PITCHING CHANGE
CLE: RAFAEL PEREZ (0-0, 0.00) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 5, CLEVELAND 11

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: N PEREZ (.188, 0-FOR-2)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: R Perez relieved R Betancourt.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: DETROIT 5
CLEVELAND 11 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: N Perez (.188, 0-FOR-2)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
DETROIT 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 10 1
CLEVELAND 2 0 0 0 4 1 0 4 x 11 13 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER, TIM BYRDAK (6TH), JOSE MESA (8TH) AND IVAN
RODRIGUEZ

CLE - C.C. SABATHIA, RAFAEL BETANCOURT (8TH), RAFAEL
PEREZ (9TH) AND VICTOR MARTINEZ

HOME RUNS: DET - CRAIG MONROE (8) OFF C.C. SABATHIA IN THE 2ND, 0 ON

CLE - TRAVIS HAFNER (10) OFF JUSTIN VERLANDER IN THE 1ST, 1 ON
VICTOR MARTINEZ (9) OFF JUSTIN VERLANDER IN THE 5TH, 1 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 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 10 1
CLEVELAND 2 0 0 0 4 1 0 4 x 11 13 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER, TIM BYRDAK (6TH), JOSE MESA (8TH) AND IVAN
RODRIGUEZ

CLE - C.C. SABATHIA, RAFAEL BETANCOURT (8TH), RAFAEL
PEREZ (9TH) AND VICTOR MARTINEZ


WP - C.C. SABATHIA (8-1)
LP - JUSTIN VERLANDER (5-2)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: DET - CRAIG MONROE (8) OFF C.C. SABATHIA IN THE 2ND, 0 ON

CLE - TRAVIS HAFNER (10) OFF JUSTIN VERLANDER IN THE 1ST, 1 ON
VICTOR MARTINEZ (9) OFF JUSTIN VERLANDER IN THE 5TH, 1 ON


TIME: 3:11 ATT: 30,038

PROBABLES: DET - MIKE MAROTH (3-2, 5.04)
CLE - FAUSTO CARMONA (6-1, 2.89)</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">DETROIT (5) VS CLEVELAND (11) - FINAL

DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
I Rodriguez c 5 1 2 0 0 0 2 .280
P Polanco 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 2 .328
G Sheffield dh 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 .268
a-S Casey ph-dh 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .273
M Ordonez rf 4 0 0 1 0 0 2 .345
M Thames 1b 4 0 2 2 0 0 0 .254
C Monroe lf 4 1 1 1 0 1 2 .239
O Infante 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .305
N Perez ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 .182
C Granderson cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .280

Totals 36 5 10 5 1 3 13

a-doubled to right for G Sheffield in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - I Rodriguez (12, C Sabathia); G Sheffield (8, C Sabathia); S
Casey (11, C Sabathia). HR - C Monroe (8, 2nd inning off C Sabathia 0 on, 1
Out). RBI - C Monroe (30), G Sheffield (30), M Ordonez (49), M Thames 2 (13).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - O Infante 1, M Ordonez 1. GIDP - I
Rodriguez. Team LOB - 5.

BASERUNNING: SB - M Thames (1, 2nd base off C Sabathia/V Martinez).

FIELDING: E - T Byrdak (1, ground ball).


CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 4 2 2 2 1 2 2 .274
C Blake 3b 5 2 2 0 0 1 2 .274
T Hafner dh 3 2 2 4 2 0 2 .276
V Martinez c 4 1 1 3 0 1 3 .306
T Nixon rf 4 0 1 0 1 2 4 .272
F Gutierrez pr-rf 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200
J Peralta ss 4 1 2 0 1 1 1 .292
D Dellucci lf 4 1 1 0 1 2 4 .239
R Garko 1b 4 0 2 1 0 0 1 .338
J Barfield 2b 5 1 0 1 0 1 4 .231

Totals 37 11 13 11 6 10 23

BATTING: 3B - G Sizemore (2, J Mesa). HR - T Hafner (10, 1st inning off J
Verlander 1 on, 1 Out), V Martinez (9, 5th inning off J Verlander 1 on, 0 Out).
SF - V Martinez. RBI - T Hafner 4 (40), V Martinez 3 (44), R Garko (21), J
Barfield (26), G Sizemore 2 (28). 2-out RBI - G Sizemore 2. Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - T Hafner 2, T Nixon 1, D Dellucci 2, C Blake 1, J
Peralta 1, J Barfield 1. Team LOB - 12.

FIELDING: DP: 1 (J Peralta-J Barfield-R Garko).


----------------------------------------------------
DETROIT - 013 000 010 -- 5
CLEVELAND - 200 041 04x -- 11
----------------------------------------------------

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
J Verlander (L, 5-2) 5 8 7 7 3 6 2 3.44
T Byrdak 2 1 0 0 2 3 0 2.53
J Mesa 1 4 4 4 1 1 0 12.34

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
C Sabathia (W, 8-1) 7 1/3 10 5 5 1 2 1 3.78
R Betancourt (H, 11) 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.61
R Perez 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00

J Verlander pitched to 2 batters in the 6th.

WP - J Verlander 2. HBP - G Sizemore (by J Verlander); R Garko (by J
Verlander); C Blake (by J Verlander). Pitches-strikes: J Verlander 107-57; T
Byrdak 42-26; J Mesa 22-13; C Sabathia 104-68; R Betancourt 6-6; R Perez 12-8.
Ground balls-fly balls: J Verlander 6-3; T Byrdak 2-1; J Mesa 1-1; C Sabathia
10-10; R Betancourt 0-2; R Perez 1-1. Batters faced: J Verlander 29; T Byrdak
10; J Mesa 8; C Sabathia 32; R Betancourt 2; R Perez 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Greg Gibson. 1B--Larry Vanover. 2B--Tony Randazzo. 3B--Charlie
Reliford.
EJECTIONS: DETROIT's Sheffield by Gibson (5th).
T--3:11. Att--30,038.
Weather: 83 degrees, cloudy. Wind: 5 mph, in from
right.</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
AL
DETROIT 5
CLEVELAND 11 FINAL</div>

 

AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DETROIT (5) AT CLEVELAND (11) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CLEVELAND 1ST: G Sizemore struck out looking. C Blake singled to left.
T Hafner homered to center, C Blake scored. V Martinez grounded out to second.
T Nixon walked. T Nixon to second on wild pitch by J Verlander. J Peralta
grounded out to second. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 0, CLEVELAND 2.

DETROIT 2ND: M Thames grounded out to shortstop. C Monroe homered to left.
O Infante reached on infield single to second. N Perez flied out to right.
C Granderson flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 1, CLEVELAND 2.

DETROIT 3RD: I Rodriguez doubled to left. P Polanco singled to left,
I Rodriguez to third. G Sheffield doubled to deep left, I Rodriguez scored,
P Polanco to third. M Ordonez grounded out to shortstop, P Polanco scored,
G Sheffield to third. M Thames singled to right, G Sheffield scored. C Monroe
struck out swinging. M Thames stole second. O Infante struck out swinging.
(3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4, CLEVELAND 2.

CLEVELAND 5TH: G Sizemore singled to left. C Blake singled to center,
G Sizemore to second. G Sizemore to third, C Blake to second on wild pitch by
J Verlander. T Hafner singled to center, G Sizemore and C Blake scored.
V Martinez homered to right center, T Hafner scored. T Nixon struck out
swinging. J Peralta struck out swinging. D Dellucci singled to center.
R Garko hit by pitch, D Dellucci to second. J Barfield grounded into fielder's
choice to shortstop, R Garko out at second. (4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4,
CLEVELAND 6.

CLEVELAND 6TH: G Sizemore walked. C Blake hit by pitch, G Sizemore to
second. T Byrdak relieved J Verlander. T Hafner walked, G Sizemore to third,
C Blake to second. V Martinez hit sacrifice fly to center, G Sizemore scored.
T Nixon struck out swinging. J Peralta walked, C Blake to third, T Hafner to
second. D Dellucci struck out swinging. (1 Run, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4,
CLEVELAND 7.

DETROIT 8TH: S Casey hit for G Sheffield. S Casey doubled to right.
M Ordonez flied out to right. M Thames singled to left center, S Casey scored.
R Betancourt relieved C Sabathia. C Monroe fouled out to catcher. O Infante
flied out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 5, CLEVELAND 7.

CLEVELAND 8TH: J Mesa relieved T Byrdak. V Martinez struck out swinging.
T Nixon singled to right. F Gutierrez ran for T Nixon. J Peralta singled to
center, F Gutierrez to second. D Dellucci walked, F Gutierrez to third,
J Peralta to second. R Garko singled to left, F Gutierrez scored, J Peralta to
third, D Dellucci to second. J Barfield grounded into fielder's choice to
third, J Peralta scored, R Garko out at second, D Dellucci to third.
G Sizemore tripled to deep center, D Dellucci and J Barfield scored. C Blake
flied out to left. (4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 5, CLEVELAND 11.</div>

 

Indians continue domination of Tigers

<h3>CLEVELAND 11, DETROIT 5</h3>CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The ejection of Detroit Tigers sluggerGary Sheffield lit a fire under the Cleveland Indians.

Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer and Travis Hafner added atwo-run single to highlight a four-run fifth inning as theIndians cruised to an 11-5 victory over the Indians in theopener of the four-game series.

Sheffield, the Tigers' designated hitter, was ejected for havingwords with home plate umpire Greg Gibson in the fifth inning.

The Indians responded with four runs in the bottom of the frameto improve to 4-0 against their American League Central Divisionrivals this season.

Cleveland (33-19), which expanded its division lead expand to 31/2 games, swept Detroit (30-23) in a three-game set at ComericaPark last weekend.

With the Tigers holding a 4-2 lead, Sheffield was ejected afterhis groundout to second baseman Josh Barfield. Gibsonimmediately made the call, prompting an irate reaction fromSheffield before Tigers manager Jim Leyland and catcher IvanRodriguez tried to restrain him.

Before he snapped at the umpire, Sheffield ripped an RBI doubleto highlight a three-run third inning for the Tigers. MagglioOrdonez's groundout plated Placido Polanco for hisleague-leading 49th RBI and Marcus Thames' single to right fieldbrought Sheffield home to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

The Indians countered with a pair of four-run innings - in thefifth and in the eighth - to ice the game.

Cleveland got out of the blocks early as Hafner greeted Tigersstarter Justin Verlander (5-2) with a two-run home run to centerin the first inning.

Craig Monroe countered with a solo blast off Indians starterC.C. Sabathia (8-1) in the second inning.

Both starting pitchers struggled early, as Verlander exited inthe bottom of the sixth, surrendering seven runs on eight hitswith three hit batsmen and two wild pitches.

After a tough start, Sabathia settled down nicely. The leftyallowed five runs on 10 hits but picked up the win to tie himwith Boston's Josh Beckett and Los Angeles of Anaheim's JohnLackey for the major league lead. Sabathia has pitched into theseventh inning in eight of his 12 starts.

Rafael Betancourt relieved Sabathia in the eighth and promptlyrecorded the final two outs of the inning.

 

AL: DETROIT at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DETROIT (5) AT CLEVELAND (11) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Detroit Starting Lineups -- I Rodriguez C, P Polanco 2B, G Sheffield DH,
M Ordonez RF, M Thames 1B, C Monroe LF, O Infante 3B, N Perez SS, C Granderson CF,
J Verlander RHP.

Cleveland Starting Lineups -- G Sizemore CF, C Blake 3B, T Hafner DH,
V Martinez C, T Nixon RF, J Peralta SS, D Dellucci LF, R Garko 1B, J Barfield 2B,
C Sabathia LHP.

Umpires -- Greg Gibson (HP), Larry Vanover (1B), Tony Randazzo (2B),
Charlie Reliford (3B).

Gametime Weather: 83 degrees, Cloudy, wind in from right at 5 mph.


DETROIT 1ST: I Rodriguez singled to right. P Polanco grounded into
fielder's choice to second, I Rodriguez out at second. G Sheffield grounded
out to third, P Polanco to second. M Ordonez grounded out to shortstop.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) DETROIT 0, CLEVELAND 0.

CLEVELAND 1ST: G Sizemore struck out looking. C Blake singled to left.
T Hafner homered to center, C Blake scored. V Martinez grounded out to second.
T Nixon walked. T Nixon to second on wild pitch by J Verlander. J Peralta
grounded out to second. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 0, CLEVELAND 2.

DETROIT 2ND: M Thames grounded out to shortstop. C Monroe homered to left.
O Infante reached on infield single to second. N Perez flied out to right.
C Granderson flied out to center. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 1, CLEVELAND 2.

CLEVELAND 2ND: D Dellucci flied out to left. R Garko popped out to
shortstop. J Barfield struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 1,
CLEVELAND 2.

DETROIT 3RD: I Rodriguez doubled to left. P Polanco singled to left,
I Rodriguez to third. G Sheffield doubled to deep left, I Rodriguez scored,
P Polanco to third. M Ordonez grounded out to shortstop, P Polanco scored,
G Sheffield to third. M Thames singled to right, G Sheffield scored. C Monroe
struck out swinging. M Thames stole second. O Infante struck out swinging.
(3 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4, CLEVELAND 2.

CLEVELAND 3RD: G Sizemore hit by pitch. C Blake struck out swinging.
T Hafner walked, G Sizemore to second. V Martinez grounded into fielder's choice
to shortstop, T Hafner out at second, G Sizemore to third. T Nixon grounded
out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4, CLEVELAND 2.

DETROIT 4TH: N Perez popped out to second. C Granderson reached on bunt
single to second. I Rodriguez grounded into double play, shortstop to second
to first, C Granderson out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4,
CLEVELAND 2.

CLEVELAND 4TH: J Peralta singled to right. D Dellucci struck out swinging.
R Garko popped out to second. J Barfield grounded into fielder's choice to
shortstop, J Peralta out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4,
CLEVELAND 2.

DETROIT 5TH: P Polanco flied out to center. G Sheffield grounded out to
second. Detroit's G Sheffield ejected by G Gibson. M Ordonez lined out to third.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4, CLEVELAND 2.

CLEVELAND 5TH: G Sizemore singled to left. C Blake singled to center,
G Sizemore to second. G Sizemore to third, C Blake to second on wild pitch by
J Verlander. T Hafner singled to center, G Sizemore and C Blake scored.
V Martinez homered to right center, T Hafner scored. T Nixon struck out
swinging. J Peralta struck out swinging. D Dellucci singled to center.
R Garko hit by pitch, D Dellucci to second. J Barfield grounded into fielder's
choice to shortstop, R Garko out at second. (4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4,
CLEVELAND 6.

DETROIT 6TH: M Thames flied out to left. C Monroe flied out to left.
O Infante grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4,
CLEVELAND 6.

CLEVELAND 6TH: G Sizemore walked. C Blake hit by pitch, G Sizemore to
second. T Byrdak relieved J Verlander. T Hafner walked, G Sizemore to third,
C Blake to second. V Martinez hit sacrifice fly to center, G Sizemore scored.
T Nixon struck out swinging. J Peralta walked, C Blake to third, T Hafner to
second. D Dellucci struck out swinging. (1 Run, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4,
CLEVELAND 7.

DETROIT 7TH: N Perez walked. C Granderson flied out to center.
I Rodriguez grounded into fielder's choice to third, N Perez out at second.
P Polanco flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 4, CLEVELAND 7.

CLEVELAND 7TH: R Garko singled to center. J Barfield safe at first on
error by pitcher T Byrdak, R Garko to second. G Sizemore struck out swinging.
C Blake grounded out to catcher, R Garko to third, J Barfield to second.
T Hafner grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) DETROIT 4, CLEVELAND 7.

DETROIT 8TH: S Casey hit for G Sheffield. S Casey doubled to right.
M Ordonez flied out to right. M Thames singled to left center, S Casey scored.
R Betancourt relieved C Sabathia. C Monroe fouled out to catcher. O Infante
flied out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 5, CLEVELAND 7.

CLEVELAND 8TH: J Mesa relieved T Byrdak. V Martinez struck out swinging.
T Nixon singled to right. F Gutierrez ran for T Nixon. J Peralta singled to
center, F Gutierrez to second. D Dellucci walked, F Gutierrez to third,
J Peralta to second. R Garko singled to left, F Gutierrez scored, J Peralta to
third, D Dellucci to second. J Barfield grounded into fielder's choice to
third, J Peralta scored, R Garko out at second, D Dellucci to third.
G Sizemore tripled to deep center, D Dellucci and J Barfield scored. C Blake
flied out to left. (4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 5, CLEVELAND 11.

DETROIT 9TH: F Gutierrez in right field. R Perez relieved R Betancourt.
N Perez struck out swinging. C Granderson lined out to right. I Rodriguez
grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) DETROIT 5, CLEVELAND 11.</div>

 

Indians continue domination of Tigers

<h3>CLEVELAND 11, DETROIT 5</h3>CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The ejection of Detroit Tigers sluggerGary Sheffield lit a fire under the Cleveland Indians.

Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer and Travis Hafner added atwo-run single to highlight a four-run fifth inning as theIndians cruised to an 11-5 victory over the Indians in theopener of the four-game series.

Sheffield, the Tigers' designated hitter, was ejected for havingwords with home plate umpire Greg Gibson in the fifth inning.

The Indians responded with four runs in the bottom of the frameto improve to 4-0 against their American League Central Divisionrivals this season.

"It feels good to be playing well against them," Indians starterC.C. Sabathia said.

Cleveland (33-19), which expanded its division lead expand to 31/2 games, swept Detroit (30-23) in a three-game set at ComericaPark last weekend.

"We're not playing very good," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said."(Cleveland) looks like it was playing with us. We're in a realbad flow right now."

With the Tigers holding a 4-2 lead, Sheffield was ejected afterhis groundout to second baseman Josh Barfield. Gibsonimmediately made the call, prompting an irate reaction fromSheffield before Leyland and catcher Ivan Rodriguez tried torestrain him.

"I don't talk about that stuff," Leyland said. "That's a deadend. I don't talk about the umpires in the papers. Obviously, he(Sheffield) and the umpire had a disagreement."

Sheffield declined to comment through a Tigers spokesman.

Before he snapped at the umpire, Sheffield ripped an RBI doubleto highlight a three-run third inning for the Tigers. MagglioOrdonez's groundout plated Placido Polanco for hisleague-leading 49th RBI and Marcus Thames' single to right fieldbrought Sheffield home to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

The Indians countered with a pair of four-run innings - in thefifth and in the eighth - to ice the game.

Martinez's home run in the fifth extended his RBI streak toseven games.

"I'm swinging the bat OK," said Martinez, who has 10 RBI duringthe streak. "I'm looking for good pitches to hit and I amhitting the balls hard."

Cleveland got out of the blocks early as Hafner greeted Tigersstarter Justin Verlander (5-2) with a two-run home run to centerin the first inning.

"I feel like my swing is getting better," said Hafner, whostruggled for most of May. "I am starting to get better resultsnow. It's nice to get the results, because baseball is all aboutconfidence."

Craig Monroe countered with a solo blast off Indians starterC.C. Sabathia (8-1) in the second inning.

Both starting pitchers struggled early, as Verlander exited inthe bottom of the sixth, surrendering seven runs on eight hitswith three hit batsmen and two wild pitches.

"I'm supposed to give us a chance to win, but I didn't do that,"Verlander said. "It was not a very good night. I have to dobetter than that."

After a tough start, Sabathia settled down nicely. The leftyallowed five runs on 10 hits but picked up the win to tie himwith Boston's Josh Beckett and Los Angeles of Anaheim's JohnLackey for the major league lead. Sabathia has pitched into theseventh inning in eight of his 12 starts.

"Detroit made some adjustments from last time I faced them,"Sabathia said. "I just wanted to try and keep us in the game. Ifyou are able to keep our offense in the game, they are going todo what they did tonight."

Rafael Betancourt relieved Sabathia in the eighth and promptlyrecorded the final two outs of the inning.