Indians at Tigers
The Cleveland Indians reside comfortably atop the American League Central due in large part to their 28-13 mark against their division representatives. The Indians (55-46) aim to continue their good fortune when they begin a six-game road trip versus a pair of AL Central foes, starting with Friday's opener of a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers (44-60).
Cleveland has won 10 of 13 encounters with Detroit this season, including outscoring the Tigers 18-5 during a four-game sweep from April 9-12 and 26-3 in a three-game sweep from June 22-24. Edwin Encarnacion, who belted a two-run homer off Friday starter Mike Fiers in a 10-0 romp on June 22, had a two-run single in Wednesday's 4-0 victory over red-hot Pittsburgh to improve to 9-for-20 with two homers and eight RBIs during his five-game hitting streak. The Tigers have answered a six-game skid with wins in four of their last seven, including an 8-4 triumph over Kansas City on Wednesday. Victor Martinez worked his way out of a 1-for-23 slump by going 6-for-12 with five RBIs in the series, but is just 7-for-40 versus Cleveland this season.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), FS Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Carlos Carrasco (12-5, 4.03 RA) vs. Tigers RH Mike Fiers (7-6, 3.49)
Carrasco won his fourth straight trip to the mound on Saturday after allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings of a 16-3 romp at Texas. The 31-year-old has pitched well on the road, posting a 5-3 mark with a 3.26 ERA in nine such outings this season. Carrasco has split a pair of decisions against Detroit in 2018, as he scattered three hits during a complete game in a 5-1 victory on April 11 before permitting three runs in 6 2/3 innings of a 6-3 setback on May 14.
Fiers carries a 2-2 mark with a 1.62 ERA in his last five starts heading into what could his final outing for the Tigers prior to Tuesday's trade deadline. The 33-year-old preceded that stretch after yielding four runs -- including two homers -- in five innings of a 10-0 laugher at Cleveland on June 22. Francisco Lindor, who joined Encarnacion in going deep in that tilt, is just 4-for-20 with five strikeouts against Fiers.
WALK-OFFS
1. Detroit RF Nicholas Castellanos, who is batting .298 this season, is hitting just .196 against Cleveland.
2. Four of Lindor's 15 hits against the Tigers in 2018 have left the park.
3. Tigers 3B Jeimer Candelario has hit safely in six of his last seven games, collecting six RBIs and five runs scored in that stretch.