Indians top Tigers 1-0 in 10 innings
CLEVELAND -- Jose Ramirez's bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Cleveland Indians a 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday at Progressive Field.
Nine Cleveland pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout. Andrew Miller (8-1), the last of them, pitched two scoreless innings to get the win.
The American League Central-leading Indians increased their lead over the second-place Tigers to eight games. Cleveland is 13-1 against Detroit this year, outscoring the Tigers 91-40.
Carlos Santana led off the bottom of the 10th by drawing a four-pitch walk from Justin Wilson (4-5). Jason Kipnis attempted a sacrifice bunt, but catcher James McCann fielded it and threw to second to get the forceout on Santana. A wild pitch by Wilson moved Kipnis to second and Kipnis then stole third.
Francisco Lindor drew a walk and Mike Napoli was intentionally walked to load the bases. Ramirez then lined a 2-2 pitch from Wilson to center field for a single, scoring Kipnis with the winning run.
In was a costly win for the Indians, however. Starter Carlos Carrasco suffered a broken hand when he was hit by a line drive in the first inning.
Cleveland had great opportunities to score in the eighth and ninth.
After Tigers starter Justin Verlander pitched seven scoreless innings on one hit, reliever Alex Wilson came on to start the eighth and Roberto Perez struck out leading off the inning.
Santana drew a walk and went to third on a double off the right field wall by Kipnis. But with runners at second and third and one out, Wilson struck out Lindor and Napoli to end the inning.
In the ninth, the Indians had runners at second and third with two outs, but pinch hitter Brandon Guyer grounded out to end that inning.
The game did not start well for Cleveland. Tigers leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler lined the second pitch of the game from Carrasco back to the mound. The ball hit Carrasco on the back of the right hand and he had to be removed from the game.
X-rays of Carrasco's hand revealed a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal of his right hand. There is no timetable for his return. That would be a huge loss for the Indians, who have already lost starter Danny Salazar for the remainder of the regular season with a right forearm strain.
The quick exit by Carrasco from the game started a parade of relievers to the mound for the Indians.
Jeff Manship, Kyle Crockett, Cody Anderson, Zach McAllister, Perci Garner, Bryan Shaw, Cody Allen and Miller came on to pitch the rest of the way.
On the ball that hit Carrasco, Kinsler reached first on a single. Manship got the first batter he faced, Cameron Maybin, to ground into a double play. But Miguel Cabrera doubled down the left field line and Victor Martinez drew a walk before Manship got J.D. Martinez to ground into a force at second for the third out.
Cabrera also singled leading off the fourth, but Anderson got Victor Martinez to ground into a double play to pull the plug on that threat.
Kipnis, hitting .102 (5-for-49) in his career vs. Verlander at the time, lined a single to center field leading off the sixth to halt Verlander's bid for a third career no-hitter. After Kipnis' single, Verlander retired the next three batters without the ball leaving the infield.
NOTES: Indians manager Terry Francona, on C Yan Gomes, who has been diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture of his right wrist: "Chances are his season is over." Gomes suffered the injury when hit by a pitch in a rehab game at Double-A Akron on Sept. 14. Gomes has been on the disabled list since July 18 with a separated right shoulder. ... Indians 1B Mike Napoli has 34 home runs. That's the second-most ever by a player in his first year with the Indians. OF Juan Gonzalez hit 35 in 2001. ... Tigers OF Justin Upton has hit 11 home runs since Aug. 21, second in the American League in that span to Minnesota 2B Brian Dozier, who has hit 13. ... Tigers DH Victor Martinez is hitting .331 (86-for-260) on the road this year. That's the second-highest road batting average in the American League.