Indians 9, Tigers 4
CLEVELAND -- Trevor Bauer and four relievers combined on a five-hitter and Michael Brantley had four hits as the Cleveland Indians completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 9-4 victory Thursday night at Progressive Field.
Cleveland banged out 16 hits, scoring four runs in the first inning, one in the fourth and four in the eighth. The Indians' pitchers took it from there. In the last two games of the series Indians pitchers held the Tigers, who rank second in the American League in hitting, to a .159 batting average.
The Indians swept their second three-game series this season against Detroit. The Indians were 7-11 against Detroit last season and 19-37 over the last three years but they are 6-0 against the Tigers so far this season.
Bauer (2-0) was making his second start since coming out of the bullpen to take the place in the rotation of Carlos Carrasco, who is on the disabled list with a strained hamstring.
Bauer pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Relievers Jeff Manship, Zach McAllister, Bryan Shaw and Joba Chamberlain followed Bauer to the mound.
Rookie Michael Fulmer (1-1) gave up five runs and 10 hits in five innings to take the loss in his second major league start for the Tigers.
Leading 5-3, the Indians added four insurance runs in the eighth inning on a pair of two-run doubles, by Rajai Davis and Brantley to make it 9-3.
Detroit scored its last run on an RBI single by Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the ninth inning.
Fulmer struck out the side in first the inning, fanning the first batter he faced and the last two batters in the inning. In between the strikeouts, however, Cleveland collected five consecutive hits and four runs.
With one out Jason Kipnis singled to right and went to second on a single to center by Francisco Lindor. A single by Brantley scored Kipnis with the first run of the game and moved Lindor to third. Mike Napoli then belted his fifth home run, a towering blast into the left field bleachers that extended the Indians lead to 4-0.
Fulmer gave up a double and a walk to the next two hitters, but then struck out Lonnie Chisenhall and Chris Gimenez to end the inning.
Bauer pitched three scoreless and hitless innings to start the game, but then ran into trouble in the fourth and Nick Castellanos ripped an opposite field three-run home run over the right field wall to cut the Cleveland lead to 4-3.
The Indians got that run back in the bottom of the fourth when Gimenez, who was acquired in a trade with Texas on Tuesday, hit a two-out solo home run over the centerfield wall, giving the Indians a 5-3 lead.
NOTES: Indians backup C Roberto Perez will undergo surgery on his right thumb Friday. No timetable has been set for his return. He injured the thumb in a home plate collision on April 30 in Philadelphia. ... Indians manager Terry Francona said DH Carlos Santana, who became the DH after losing his job at first base to 1B Mike Napoli, has begun to occasionally take fly balls in right field in pregame drills. ... Tigers SS Jose Iglesias, hitting .194 in his last 10 games, was given a day off Thursday. ... Tigers INF Andrew Romine started his first major league game in center field on Thursday. Romine has started two games at shortstop and one at first base this year.