Tigers 7, Indians 1
Miguel Cabrera belted a two-run homer and drove in three runs to back seven strong innings by Doug Fister as Detroit avoided a three-game sweep by visiting Cleveland.
Fister (8-8) allowed one run on four hits while striking out six to keep the Tigers within one game of the American League Central-leading Chicago White Sox.
Prince Fielder clubbed a solo homer in a five-run eighth to help Detroit to only its sixth win in 15 meetings with the Indians this year.
Indians right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (9-15) lost his fourth consecutive decision, giving up four runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings to fall to 1-8 in his last 11 starts.
Cabrera got the Tigers on the board in the first inning with his 35th homer, drilling an opposite-field shot off Jimenez to stake Fister and the Tigers to a 2-0 lead.
The Indians got one run back in the fourth by stringing together three singles, with Michael Brantley driving in Jason Kipnis to cut the deficit to 2-1.
It stayed that way until the eighth, when Detroit's Andy Dirks snapped an 0-for-11 skid with an RBI triple and scored on Cabrera's sacrifice fly. Jhonny Peralta also had a two-run double in the frame.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cabrera's three RBIs moved him ahead of Texas' Josh Hamilton for the major-league lead with 116. He also climbed into a tie with Angels rookie Mike Trout for the AL batting lead at .330. ... Kipnis had a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to five games. ... Tigers 1B Fielder has reached base safely in 26 straight games, the team's longest streak of the year. ... Indians closer Chris Perez took a swipe at team ownership and management, telling Fox Sports the difference between the Tigers and Cleveland are "Different owners. ... They are spending money." Perez said the issues are not limited to the owners. "They don’t make the trades. It’s the GMs. It goes hand in hand." ... The Tigers will fly to Los Angeles to kick off a 10-game road trip against the Angels on Friday while the Indians will open a three-game series in Minnesota on Friday.