Indians 8, Tigers 1
DETROIT -- Jerry Sands hit a two-run home run in the third inning and triggered a four-run fifth with a leadoff triple while Josh Tomlin began the game with five innings of one-hit ball Friday night to spark the surging Cleveland Indians to an 8-1 victory over the sinking Detroit Tigers.
Tomlin, subbing for injured right-hander Corey Kluber but starting on normal rest, gave up a leadoff single to center fielder Anthony Gose in the first but held Detroit hitless until giving up a leadoff double in the sixth.
Tomlin (4-1) got 14 Detroit batters to hit the first or second pitch he threw. Tomlin gave up four hits, walked one, struck out six and threw 104 pitches in his third career complete game.
Left-hander Kyle Lobstein (3-6), out since May 24 with a bad left shoulder, was activated off the 60-day disabled list by Detroit on Thursday and showed a little rust Friday. He was touched for six runs on eight hits and two walks (one intentional) in 4 1/3 innings.
The Indians (65-58) have won seven of their last nine while the Tigers (61-73) have dropped 12 of 14.
Sands, Cleveland's right fielder, hit his third home run of the season in the third inning to break a scoreless tie, and his leadoff triple in the fifth ignited a four-run inning. Sands also made the last out of the fifth, with Cabrera needing to make a leaping stop of his high chopper to save a double.
Third baseman Giovanny Urshela singled to drive in Sands in the fifth, shortstop Francisco Lindor doubled him to third, left fielder Michael Brantley had an RBI single off Lobstein and right-handed reliever Drew VerHagen hit catcher Yan Gomes with a pitch with the bases loaded to force in the fourth run of the inning.
Detroit didn't score until two were out in the sixth, when first baseman Miguel Cabrera lined a single to left to bring in shortstop Dixon Machado, who had doubled and gone to third on a fly to right. Machado's double was only the second hit allowed by Tomlin.
Cleveland got two runs in the seventh on a pinch-hit, two-run double by right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall with nobody out off right-hander Jeff Ferrell.
NOTES: Detroit SS Jose Iglesias will be out for at least two weeks after a CT scan of his right middle finger showed a non-displaced chip fracture. He was hit on the hand by a pitch Thursday night in Kansas City. ... Cleveland RHP Corey Kluber will miss his scheduled Saturday start due to a right hamstring strain. LHP Danny Salazar was moved back a day to take his place, with RHP Josh Tomlin starting Friday. ... The Indians purchased the contract of LHP Giovanni Soto from their Triple-A Columbus farm club. Soto originally signed with the Tigers but was traded to Cleveland as part of the deal for SS Jhonny Peralta in 2010.