GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: CLEVELAND (51-33) at DETROIT (48-34)

AL: CLEVELAND (51-33) at DETROIT (48-34)

<h3>Verlander, Sabathia battle for All-Star supremacy</h3>

Cleveland (51-33) at Detroit (48-34) 1:05 pm EDT

DETROIT (Ticker) -- Justin Verlander will get another chance toimpress his manager enough to get the starting nod in Tuesday'sAll-Star Game. C.C. Sabathia will be attempting to do the same.

The two All-Stars starters will square off Thursday when theDetroit Tigers host the Cleveland Indians in the finale of theirthree-game series.

Verlander (9-3, 3.18 ERA) has the built-in advantage of playingfor the man who will ultimately make the decision of who shouldstart, Detroit manager Jim Leyland.

The 24-year-old righthander had his worst outing of the seasonagainst Sabathia and the Indians on May 31, yielding seven runsand eight hits in five innings to take a loss. Verlander alsostruggled in his last outing when he allowed six runs in fiveinnings against the Minnesota Twins in a matchup againstreigning American League Cy Young winner Johan Santana.

Sabathia (12-2, 3.20) has been rock solid all season. The burlylefthander will be looking to increase his major league-leadingwin total to 13.

He beat the Tigers in back-to-back starts on May 26 and May 31,and owns a 12-7 career mark against his division rivals.

In his last start, Sabathia allowed three runs - two earned -and six hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings of an 8-6victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It was his thirdstraight winning outing.

Leyland will likely choose his starter from a group thatincludes the two men starting here on Thursday along withBoston's Josh Beckett, Oakland's Dan Haren, Santana, and theAngels' John Lackey.

Detroit picked up a win on Wednesday, 6-4, behind five-plusstrong innings by Kenny Rogers. The win snapped the Indians'six-game winning streak.

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">CLEVELAND AT DETROIT -- LINEUPS

CLEVELAND DETROIT
AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI
Grady Sizemore CF .283 14 45 Curtis Granderson CF .284 11 42
Casey Blake 3B .271 12 43 Placido Polanco 2B .330 2 37
Victor Martinez C .322 14 64 Gary Sheffield DH .295 19 53
Travis Hafner DH .257 14 54 Magglio Ordonez RF .365 13 68
Jhonny Peralta SS .280 14 49 Carlos Guillen SS .328 12 61
Ryan Garko 1B .294 9 30 Ivan Rodriguez C .282 8 45
Trot Nixon RF .244 2 25 Marcus Thames 1B .235 8 22
Ben Francisco LF .500 3 5 Craig Monroe LF .219 9 41
Josh Barfield 2B .257 2 37 Brandon Inge 3B .247 11 40

C.C. Sabathia LHP (12-2, 3.20) Justin Verlander RHP (9-3, 3.18)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">AL AT DETROIT
WARMUPS: CLE - C.C. SABATHIA (12-2, 3.20)
DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER (9-3, 3.18)

UMPIRES: HP - DOUG EDDINGS
1B - DANA DEMUTH
2B - DERRYL COUSINS
3B - KERWIN DANLEY

WEATHER: 80 Degrees, partly cloudy
WIND: 2 mph, in from right</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">AL AT DETROIT
STARTING BATS: CLE - C.C. SABATHIA AND VICTOR MARTINEZ
DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ

DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: G SIZEMORE (.283, 14 HR, 45 RBI)
C BLAKE (.271, 12 HR, 43 RBI)
V MARTINEZ (.322, 14 HR, 64 RBI)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">AL AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY VICTOR MARTINEZ (15) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 1ST OFF JUSTIN VERLANDER.
CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 1, DETROIT 0

DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: T HAFNER (.257, 14 HR, 54 RBI)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: CLE - C.C. SABATHIA
DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: C GRANDERSON (.284, 11 HR, 42 RBI)
P POLANCO (.330, 2 HR, 37 RBI)
G SHEFFIELD (.295, 19 HR, 53 RBI)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">CLEVELAND (1) VS DETROIT (0) - MID 1ST - IN PROGRESS

CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282
C Blake 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270
V Martinez c 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .324
T Hafner dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .256
J Peralta ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .280
R Garko 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .294
T Nixon rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .244
B Francisco lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
J Barfield 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257

Totals 4 1 1 1 0 1 0

BATTING: HR - V Martinez (15, 1st inning off J Verlander 0 on, 2 Out). RBI - V
Martinez (65). 2-out RBI - V Martinez. Team LOB - 0.


DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .284
P Polanco 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .330
G Sheffield dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .295
M Ordonez rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .365
C Guillen ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .328
I Rodriguez c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282
M Thames 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .235
C Monroe lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .219
B Inge 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247

Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BATTING: Team LOB - 0.


----------------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND - 1 -- 1
DETROIT - -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
C Sabathia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.20

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
J Verlander 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 3.23

Pitches-strikes: J Verlander 11-9. Ground balls-fly balls: J Verlander 0-2.
Batters faced: J Verlander 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Doug Eddings. 1B--Dana Demuth. 2B--Derryl Cousins. 3B--Kerwin
Danley.

Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 2 mph, in from right.</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">AL CLEVELAND AT DETROIT
NOTE: CLEVELAND CATCHER VICTOR MARTINEZ EXTENDED HIS
HITTING STREAK TO 10 GAMES WITH A HOME RUN IN THE FIRST INNING.</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">AL AT DETROIT
CONFIRMED STARTERS: CLE - C.C. SABATHIA
DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">AL AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY PLACIDO POLANCO (3) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 1ST OFF C.C. SABATHIA.
CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 1, DETROIT 1

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: G SHEFFIELD (.295, 19 HR, 53 RBI)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: CLE - C.C. SABATHIA
DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER

DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: J PERALTA (.280, 14 HR, 49 RBI)
R GARKO (.294, 9 HR, 30 RBI)
T NIXON (.244, 2 HR, 25 RBI)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">CLEVELAND (1) VS DETROIT (1) - END 1ST - IN PROGRESS

CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282
C Blake 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270
V Martinez c 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .324
T Hafner dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .256
J Peralta ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .280
R Garko 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .294
T Nixon rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .244
B Francisco lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500
J Barfield 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257

Totals 4 1 1 1 0 1 0

BATTING: HR - V Martinez (15, 1st inning off J Verlander 0 on, 2 Out). RBI - V
Martinez (65). 2-out RBI - V Martinez. Team LOB - 0.


DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .283
P Polanco 2b 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .332
G Sheffield dh 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .297
M Ordonez rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .364
C Guillen ss 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .327
I Rodriguez c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282
M Thames 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .235
C Monroe lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .219
B Inge 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247

Totals 5 1 2 1 0 1 2

BATTING: HR - P Polanco (3, 1st inning off C Sabathia 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - P
Polanco (38). Team LOB - 1.


----------------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND - 1 -- 1
DETROIT - 1 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
C Sabathia 1 2 1 1 0 1 1 3.25

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
J Verlander 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 3.23

Pitches-strikes: C Sabathia 20-12; J Verlander 11-9. Ground balls-fly balls:
C Sabathia 0-2; J Verlander 0-2. Batters faced: C Sabathia 5; J Verlander 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Doug Eddings. 1B--Dana Demuth. 2B--Derryl Cousins. 3B--Kerwin
Danley.

Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 2 mph, in from right.</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">AL AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
WILD PITCH BY JUSTIN VERLANDER ALLOWED RYAN GARKO TO
SCORE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, NONE ON, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 2
DETROIT 1 TOP, 2ND

DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: B FRANCISCO (.500, 0-FOR-0)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: CLE - C.C. SABATHIA
DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: I RODRIGUEZ (.282, 8 HR, 45 RBI)
M THAMES (.235, 8 HR, 22 RBI)
C MONROE (.219, 9 HR, 41 RBI)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">CLEVELAND (2) VS DETROIT (1) - MID 2ND - IN PROGRESS

CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282
C Blake 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270
V Martinez c 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .324
T Hafner dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .256
J Peralta ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .279
R Garko 1b 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .297
T Nixon rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .243
B Francisco lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .529
J Barfield 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .256

Totals 9 2 3 1 0 1 2

BATTING: HR - V Martinez (15, 1st inning off J Verlander 0 on, 2 Out). RBI - V
Martinez (65). 2-out RBI - V Martinez. Team LOB - 1.


DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .283
P Polanco 2b 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .332
G Sheffield dh 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .297
M Ordonez rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .364
C Guillen ss 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .327
I Rodriguez c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282
M Thames 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .235
C Monroe lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .219
B Inge 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247

Totals 5 1 2 1 0 1 2

BATTING: HR - P Polanco (3, 1st inning off C Sabathia 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - P
Polanco (38). Team LOB - 1.

FIELDING: E - C Guillen (14, throw).


----------------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND - 11 -- 2
DETROIT - 1 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
C Sabathia 1 2 1 1 0 1 1 3.25

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
J Verlander 2 3 2 2 0 1 1 3.29

WP - J Verlander. Pitches-strikes: C Sabathia 20-12; J Verlander 32-23.
Ground balls-fly balls: C Sabathia 0-2; J Verlander 1-4. Batters faced: C
Sabathia 5; J Verlander 9.

UMPIRES: HP--Doug Eddings. 1B--Dana Demuth. 2B--Derryl Cousins. 3B--Kerwin
Danley.

Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 2 mph, in from right.</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: CLE - C.C. SABATHIA
DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER

DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: G SIZEMORE (.282, 0-FOR-1)
C BLAKE (.270, 0-FOR-1)
V MARTINEZ (.324, 1-FOR-1, HR, RBI)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">CLEVELAND (2) VS DETROIT (1) - END 2ND - IN PROGRESS

CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282
C Blake 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270
V Martinez c 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .324
T Hafner dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .256
J Peralta ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .279
R Garko 1b 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .297
T Nixon rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .243
B Francisco lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .529
J Barfield 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .256

Totals 9 2 3 1 0 1 2

BATTING: HR - V Martinez (15, 1st inning off J Verlander 0 on, 2 Out). RBI - V
Martinez (65). 2-out RBI - V Martinez. Team LOB - 1.


DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .283
P Polanco 2b 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .332
G Sheffield dh 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .297
M Ordonez rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .364
C Guillen ss 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .327
I Rodriguez c 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .281
M Thames 1b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .242
C Monroe lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .218
B Inge 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .246

Totals 9 1 3 1 0 2 3

BATTING: 2B - M Thames (6, C Sabathia). HR - P Polanco (3, 1st inning off C
Sabathia 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - P Polanco (38). Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - B Inge 1. Team LOB - 2.

FIELDING: E - C Guillen (14, throw).


----------------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND - 11 -- 2
DETROIT - 10 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
C Sabathia 2 3 1 1 0 2 1 3.22

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
J Verlander 2 3 2 1 0 1 1 3.20

WP - J Verlander. Pitches-strikes: C Sabathia 31-19; J Verlander 32-23.
Ground balls-fly balls: C Sabathia 0-4; J Verlander 1-4. Batters faced: C
Sabathia 9; J Verlander 9.

UMPIRES: HP--Doug Eddings. 1B--Dana Demuth. 2B--Derryl Cousins. 3B--Kerwin
Danley.

Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 2 mph, in from right.</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

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

CURRENT PITCHERS: CLE - C.C. SABATHIA
DET - JUSTIN VERLANDER

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: C GRANDERSON (.283, 0-FOR-1)
P POLANCO (.332, 1-FOR-1, HR, RBI)
G SHEFFIELD (.297, 1-FOR-1)</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">CLEVELAND (2) VS DETROIT (1) - MID 3RD - IN PROGRESS

CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .281
C Blake 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270
V Martinez c 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 .323
T Hafner dh 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 .255
J Peralta ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .279
R Garko 1b 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .297
T Nixon rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .243
B Francisco lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .529
J Barfield 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .256

Totals 12 2 3 1 0 2 4

BATTING: HR - V Martinez (15, 1st inning off J Verlander 0 on, 2 Out). RBI - V
Martinez (65). 2-out RBI - V Martinez. Team LOB - 2.


DETROIT ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Granderson cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .283
P Polanco 2b 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 .332
G Sheffield dh 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .297
M Ordonez rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .364
C Guillen ss 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .327
I Rodriguez c 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .281
M Thames 1b 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .242
C Monroe lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .218
B Inge 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .246

Totals 9 1 3 1 0 2 3

BATTING: 2B - M Thames (6, C Sabathia). HR - P Polanco (3, 1st inning off C
Sabathia 0 on, 1 Out). RBI - P Polanco (38). Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - B Inge 1. Team LOB - 2.

FIELDING: E - C Guillen (14, throw).


----------------------------------------------------
CLEVELAND - 110 -- 2
DETROIT - 10 -- 1
----------------------------------------------------

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
C Sabathia 2 3 1 1 0 2 1 3.22

DETROIT ip h r er bb so hr era
J Verlander 3 3 2 1 0 2 1 3.17

WP - J Verlander. HBP - C Blake (by J Verlander). Pitches-strikes: C Sabathia
31-19; J Verlander 50-33. Ground balls-fly balls: C Sabathia 0-4; J Verlander
1-6. Batters faced: C Sabathia 9; J Verlander 13.

UMPIRES: HP--Doug Eddings. 1B--Dana Demuth. 2B--Derryl Cousins. 3B--Kerwin
Danley.

Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 2 mph, in from right.</div>

 

AL: CLEVELAND at DETROIT

<div class="pre">AL AT DETROIT - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY GARY SHEFFIELD SCORED CURTIS GRANDERSON.

SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, P POLANCO ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: CLEVELAND 2
DETROIT 2 BOTTOM, 3RD

DUE UP FOR DETROIT: M ORDONEZ (.364, 0-FOR-1)</div>