Indians complete three-game sweep of Tigers
DETROIT -- Mike Napoli and Lonnie Chisenhall each hit two-run home runs while Cleveland was scoring six times on four home runs off Detroit's Justin Verlander in the fifth inning Sunday to help overpower the Tigers 9-3.
The Indians completed their third straight sweep of a three-game series with Detroit.
Josh Tomlin (9-1) struggled with his control for four innings before settling in to help Cleveland win its ninth straight game and improve to 9-0 over Detroit. Three of the six hits he allowed were solo home runs.
Victor Martinez hit two of them. His 13th came with one out in the fourth and his 14th opened the sixth to make it 8-3.
Tomlin walked one and struck out three in eight innings. Zach McAllister pitched the ninth.
Juan Uribe broke a 2-2 tie when he hit a fat Verlander curveball to left for his seventh homer leading off the fifth. The next batter, Tyler Naquin, smacked a bad changeup to right for his sixth home run.
Francisco Lindor singled with two outs and Napoli followed with his 16th home run, a liner to left near the line that made it 6-2. Jose Ramirez singled and Chisenhall made it 8-2 with a fly ball just over the fence in right for his third home run.
Yan Gomes grounded an RBI single to center after Chisenhall's fourth hit, a triple to extreme right, in the eighth to make it 9-3. Chisenhall would have hit for the cycle had one of his two singles been a double.
Verlander (7-6) allowed nine hits, walked two and fanned five in 4 2/3 innings, his shortest start since lasting 4 1/3 innings in his second outing of the year.
Mike Martinez walked and Lindor singled him to third to begin the fourth. Martinez scored and Lindor went to second on a wild Verlander pitch to tie the score 1-1. Chisenhall grounded an RBI single to right for a 2-1 Indians lead.
Mike Aviles opened the third inning with his first home run of the season, a fly ball down the left-field line off Tomlin that gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
NOTES: Indians 2B Jason Kipnis was held out of the starting lineup Sunday. Manager Terry Francona took him out after seven innings Saturday because he was cramping up. ... Tigers RF Steven Moya missed his second straight start on Sunday due to right knee soreness. "If a guy's complaining of a knee issue, why play him?" manager Brad Ausmus said. ... Cleveland's eight-game winning streak entering Sunday was its longest since ending the 2013 season with 10 wins in a row. ... Ausmus said RHP Mike Pelfrey, scheduled to start Tuesday, was available for use in relief Sunday. He threw 48 pitches in relief Friday, working 4 1/3 innings.