Indians at Tigers

Summary:

The Indians have lost seven straight to the Tigers, including consecutive three-game sweeps in August and September to take them out of the running in the AL Central. Detroit has outscored the Tribe, 78-59. The Tigers clinched the AL Central on Sept. 16. They’ve won 27 of their last 36 games. Victor Martinez is hitting .311 (14-for-45) with three homers and 15 RBI against the Tribe this year. Fister (2-1), Scherzer (2-0) and Porcello (1-1) have seen plenty of the Tribe this year.

Pitching Matchups:

RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3, 4.62) vs. RHP Doug Fister (10-13, 2.94) Tonight at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Jeanmar Gomez (5-2, 3.52) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (14-9, 4.37) Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Zach McAllister (0-1, 5.83) vs. RHP Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.76) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

Tigers News/Notes:

• 1B Miguel Cabrera precipitated a couple of skipped heartbeats when he experienced a few moments of dizziness while batting in the seventh inning. Cabrera, who hit his 29th home run of the season with a man on in the first, got a visit from manager Jim Leyland and head trainer Kevin Rand after taking three straight balls. He remained in the game and lined out to left on a 3-2 pitch. Leyland took him out of the game as a precaution.  Cabrera went 2-for-3 in the game and is challenging for the batting title with a .341 average.

• DH Victor Martinez joined 1B Miguel Cabrera with 100 RBI when he hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning. It gave him 101 RBI and he and Cabrera made it nine times since 1961 that Tiger teammates have breached 100 RBI. Cabrera has 103.

• RF/1B Don Kelly gave Detroit some breathing room with a three-run home run in the sixth. Kelly came in to play right for RF Magglio Ordonez in the top of the sixth, shifting to first in the seventh when 1B Miguel Cabrera was removed after going through a spell of dizziness at bat. Kelly has seven home runs this season, three this month.

• RHP Brad Penny is struggling to make a case to be included in Detroit’s postseason rotation, if not the roster. Penny wiped runners off the bases in the first two innings with double plays, but in the fifth gave up an RBI double plus an RBI single to the eighth and ninth hitters in Baltimore’s batting order, tying the score at 3. He was removed after giving up a one-out double in the sixth. Penny has not allowed less than three earned runs in consecutive starts since June 26-July 1.

• RHP Al Alburquerque showed manager Jim Leyland what he wanted to see, effective pitching in back-to-back games, to confirm his spot on Detroit’s postseason roster providing he reports no unusual effects on Monday. Alburquerque, who worked a scoreless eighth Saturday, was brought in after RHP Brad Penny gave up a one-out double in the sixth. He got a groundout on a 3-2 pitch and a strikeout on a 2-2 slider. He had been battling a hip problem until pitching Thursday night.

• SS Jhonny Peralta hit his 20th home run of the season, a solo shot leading off the eighth. His two hits put him at .301 after he had recently dipped under that mark for one of the few periods this season. He now has 84 and is at the high side of the figures Detroit was hoping to get when it signed him to a two-year deal with an option during the winter.

• 3B Wilson Betemit, out of action since Sept. 16 with a left knee sprain, will return to action Monday night against the Tribe.  Betemit had essentially been a platoon partner with 3B Brandon Inge before getting hurt sliding into home plate. He’s started against right-handed pitchers.

• 2B Carlos Guillen is looking less and less likely to be on manager Jim Leyland’s roster for the divisional round of the AL playoffs.