Cleveland @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 11, 2011 ) Detroit 4, Cleveland 3
THE STORY: It's time for a big series in the American League Central. The Detroit Tigers lead the Cleveland Indians by 1 1/2 games going into their three-game series that starts Friday night at Comerica Park. Cleveland has shaved 2 1/2 games off Detroit's lead in the last 10 days. The Indians took two of three - including a win in 14 innings - when the teams met in Cleveland last week. Cleveland is 6-3 against Detroit this season, but the Tigers took two of three at home in June.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, STO (Cleveland), FSD (Detroit)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Josh Tomlin (12-5, 3.97 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Max Scherzer (12-7, 4.37 ERA)
Tomlin leads the Indians in wins, but has one victory in his last five starts. He won't overpower the opposition, but makes batters hit their way on base. Tomlin has issued just 20 walks in 154 innings. He hasn't faced the Tigers this season and is 1-1 in his career against Detroit.
Scherzer will be making his third start of the season against the Indians. He's 1-0 and has allowed seven earned runs in 12 1/3 innings in his first two starts. Scherzer is 2-3 lifetime against Cleveland. He struck out 10, didn't walk a batter and got the win in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles.
ABOUT THE INDIANS (62-58): Coming off a 93-loss season, no one expected the Indians to be playing for anything substantial in mid-August. Yet here they are playing meaningful games for the first time since winning the division in 2007. Pitching has been the key to Cleveland's surprise season. The rotation is solid and the bullpen has been the strongest part of the team. Those trends must continue if the Indians are going to overtake the Tigers. The offense, thanks to injuries and key players having mediocre campaigns, has struggled all season. There's no reason to think that will change after 120 games.
ABOUT THE TIGERS (65-58): Victor Martinez's sprained left knee has created a problem for manager Jim Leyland. The injury has limited to Martinez to the designated hitter's role for the last two weeks. He hasn't caught a game since Aug. 4 and is obviously hobbled by the bad leg. The entire catching load has fallen to Alex Avila, who has worked 12 straight games. The long stint behind the plate hasn't affected Avila's offense. He's batting .390 in the stretch, although he struck out against Minnesota closer Joe Nathan to end Wednesday's game. Leyland must take some of the catching load from Avila at some point.
FINAL PITCH: Rookie second baseman Jason Kipnis could be headed to the disabled list for the Indians. He's been sidelined by an oblique injury and pulled a hamstring in batting practice Thursday, forcing him to be scratched from the lineup. Kipnis homered in four consecutive games earlier this month.