 pitched six innings of two-run ball, becoming the second rookie starter to beat the Tigers in the series. Shane Bieber pitched seven innings in Friday night's 12-0 win.Tigers starter Matthew Boyd (4-6) allowed a season-high six runs in three-plus innings in his shortest outing of the season.Detroit has lost five straight overall and is 3-10 against Cleveland this season.The Indians grabbed control with four runs in the first two innings. Michael Brantley hit a two-run single in the second.Lindor added a two-run homer in the fourth. He hit solo home runs Friday and Saturday, and is second on the team with 19 homers this season.Lindor also led off the first with a double and scored on Encarnacion's double to the left field corner. Encarnacion nearly flipped over on his head-first dive into the bag, but beat the throw.Niko Goodrum and James McCann had RBI singles for Detroit in the fourth.Plutko worked out of a jam in the first. Leonys Martin led off with a single to center. First baseman Yonder Alonso then fielded Jeimer Candelario's ground ball near the bag. Instead of stepping on the base for an easy out, Alonso threw to second but Martin was safe.Plutko bailed out his defense by retiring Nicholas Castellanos, Victor Martinez and Goodrum on flyouts.ADD AN O TO OHIOThe Tigers have lost all nine games they have played in the state of Ohio this season. Detroit was swept in a four-game series at Progressive Field in April. The Tigers lost both games in Cincinnati this week before heading north. The Tigers return to Cleveland in September.TRAINER'S ROOMTigers: RHP Drew VerHagen (broken nose) will not resume baseball activities for two weeks after being struck on the face with a throw from shortstop Jose Iglesias while covering first base Tuesday in Cincinnati.Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco will throw bullpen sessions this week to test his bruised elbow. He was struck by a line drive hit by Minnesota's Joe Mauer on June 16.UP NEXTTigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (2-0, 4.95 ERA) takes on Oakland at Comerica Park on Monday in the opener of a four-game series.Indians: RHP Mike Clevinger (6-2, 3.00 ERA) pitches the series opener in St. Louis on Monday. RHP John Gant (1-2, 4.39 ERA) starts for the Cardinals.)
TICKETSTICKETSIndians go for seventh straight win in series finale vs. Tigers 4h ago• 2 min read CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians will attempt to run their winning streak to a season-high seven games Sunday against the slumping Detroit Tigers in the final game of a three-game series.For the Indians, it's also the end of a nine-game homestand in which they've gone 6-2.The Tigers have lost four in a row and go into Sunday's game with a 3-9 record against the Indians this year. They're 6-28 since June 25, 2015.The staggering Tigers made a flurry of roster moves before Saturday's game, starting with activating pitcher Francisco Liriano off the 10-day disabled list. Liriano pitched four innings and took the loss Saturday in a 4-1 Cleveland victory.The Tigers also optioned infielder Ronny Rodriguez to Triple-A Toledo. They placed pitcher Johnny Barbato on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder rotator cuff tendinitis. To replace Barbato on the roster, Detroit recalled right-handed pitcher Artie Lewicki from Toledo.The pitching matchup Sunday will be Detroit left-hander Matthew Boyd (4-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. Cleveland right-hander Adam Plutko (3-1, 5.04).Boyd will make his second start against the Indians this year. His first one was a good one. On April 10, the Tigers lost to Cleveland 2-1. Boyd worked seven innings, giving up one run and three hits with four strikeouts and one walk.Boyd comes into Sunday after a loss in his last start, 9-5 to Cincinnati on June 19. In that game, he pitched four innings, giving up five runs and six hits with five strikeouts and three walks. In six career appearances against the Indians, Boyd is 1-2 with a 1.78 ERA.Plutko's last appearance was a two-inning relief stint during the Indians' 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on June 16. In that game, Plutko pitched two innings, giving up one run and two hits with one strikeout and no walks.Plutko's last start was a 5-1 loss to the White Sox on June 12 in which he pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs and eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks.Sunday will be Plutko's second career appearance against Detroit. He made a relief appearance against the Tigers on Sept. 27, 2016, allowing three runs and three hits, including a home run, with one walk and one strikeout in two innings.Sunday was supposed to be Mike Clevinger's day to start, but Indians manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Carl Willis decided to tweak the rotation. Clevinger will instead pitch Monday in St. Louis. Corey Kluber, who's day to pitch would have been Monday, will now pitch Tuesday against the Cardinals."Somebody was going to get an extra day," Francona said. "Just talking to Carl, we felt like Clev's thrown 100 (or more) pitches in nine (of his last 10 starts). So giving him an extra day, we just thought it would help us more than anything. So that's why we changed it." Plutko will be backed by a Cleveland bullpen that is much improved since the additions of newcomers Oliver Perez and Neil Ramirez. Ramirez has a 2.57 ERA in 16 games, and in his nine appearances with Cleveland Perez has a 1.17 ERA."The reliever world can be very volatile, so when you hit on guys like that, it sure helps," Francona said.The Tigers, meanwhile, are trying to get their offense started. Detroit has scored three runs or less in four of its last five games, being outscored 29-12 in those games.
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