Cleveland Vs. Detroit 8-11-11
The biggest obstacle standing in the way of the Cleveland Indians moving within one game of the first-place Detroit Tigers is Cy Young Award candidate Justin Verlander.
The Indians look to complete a three-game sweep with a 14th straight home win over the Tigers on Thursday night, while preventing Verlander from becoming the majors' first 17-game winner.
One night after recording a 3-2, 14-inning victory in the series opener, Cleveland (58-56) moved within two games of Detroit (61-55) with a 10-3 rout in Ubaldo Jimenez's home debut Wednesday.
"Every count. Every pitch. Every inning. It's really fun," Jimenez said of pitching in a pennant race.
The Indians have won 13 straight at Progressive Field over Detroit since a 6-4 loss May 8, 2010 - a game Verlander (16-5, 2.30 ERA) won.
Though the right-hander is 4-8 with a 6.31 ERA in 13 career starts in Cleveland, where the Tigers have lost his last two outings, Verlander did not allow a hit until the eighth inning and finished with a two-hitter and 12 strikeouts in a 4-0 home win over the Indians on June 14.
He has been almost as tough while winning his last four starts, holding opponents to a .162 average in that stretch. Verlander gave up three runs in seven innings of a 4-3 win at Kansas City on Saturday.
"You always feel confident with him pitching," teammate Victor Martinez said. "The thing is, we're confident about this entire team."
Not only will Verlander try to prevent the Tigers from dropping four in a row for the first time since a five-game skid May 16-21, but he'll also hope to cool down a Cleveland club that is playing with plenty of confidence against the division leaders.
"When you get into the situation we're in, it is not about the standings, but more about the way we're playing," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We're not playing bad."
Verlander has never faced Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, who went 5 for 5 with a homer and three RBIs Wednesday. Kipnis, who became the first Cleveland rookie in 59 years to collect five hits and score four runs in a game, is batting .364 (16 for 44) with six home runs and 10 RBIs his last 10 games after going 2 for 17 in his first six contests.
"He's a dirt bag," manager Manny Acta said. "One of those guys who will run through a wall every day. A guy that does everything he can to win."
Scheduled Indians starter Fausto Carmona (5-11, 5.19) is 4-1 with a 3.46 ERA in eight home starts versus Detroit, and he beat the Tigers on the road by allowing four runs - two earned - in five innings of a 6-4 win June 15.
The right-hander has posted a 2.81 ERA in four starts since a stint on the disabled list due to a quadriceps strain.
Martinez, the former Indians standout, is 3 for 8 in this series and 4 for 9 with three doubles against Carmona.
The Tigers are likely to be without outfielder Brennan Boesch after he left Wednesday's game with a sprained right thumb, and Cleveland outfielder Michael Brantley is expected to miss his second straight contest with a sore right wrist.
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