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DETROIT – Mike Clevinger maintained his dominance over his opponents in the Central Division of the American League in August and the Cleveland Indians won their 14th consecutive victory over Detroit with a 2-0 win on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park.
Clevinger pulled out 10 points and gave the Tigers four hits in eight scoreless innings without scoring a goal. It was his 10th career ten-digit playoff game and his fifth this season. He retired seven of his last eight batters, including five on strike.
Meanwhile, shortstop Francisco Lindor continued his torrid month at the plate, giving Cleveland all the attack he would need with a circuit of two solo withdrawals in the third.
Brad Hand shot a scoreless ninth for his fourth consecutive save and 33rd overall.
The Indians swept the three-game series against the Tigers and advanced two games ahead of Oakland for first place among the wild cards in the American League. They also cut their half-match deficit in north-central Alberta, dropping by three Minnesota. The Kansas City Athletics and the White Sox Twins were in the lead on Thursday afternoon.
According to Statcast, Clevinger entered the game with the third highest percentage of swing-and-miss in baseball, according to Statcast (36.5%). He limited Detroit to four baserunners, including Victor Reyes, who scored in Game 6 but was dismissed by receiver Kevin Plawecki.
Manager Terry Francona said Clevinger was able to limit his throws throughout the match by making adjustments from one end to the other.
"Every time he let a fly pass, he corrected himself and came back," said Francona. "His fastball had a velocity that he kept throughout the match. His breaking ball was really good. He just really started. "
Clevinger (10-2, 2.72) earned his seventh career win against the Tigers in 10 starts. He also improved to 6-0 against AL Central opponents, with a silver medal of 1.05 in eight outings this year. He said that after missing two months due to a back injury, he felt stronger over the season.
"That's what you build for the off season," said Clevinger. "I mean, I hope to launch 98 in the spring training, but 98 at the end of the year is really what matters."
The 28-year-old right-hander has risen to 5-0 in his last six starts on the road and has not lost a decision since June 28 in Baltimore. He is 9-0 in his last 11 outings. In August, Clevinger is 12-1, including 5-0 this season.
Lindor's third home race was his 25th. The blast earned him four goals in his last six games and draws in two consecutive games for the first time since August 3rd and 4th.
He became the first Indian midfielder with three consecutive seasons of at least 25 homers and the first tribal hitter to accomplish this feat since Travis Hafner (2004-06).
The home attack also extended Lindor's 11-game winning streak, putting him tied with Nicky Lopez of Kansas City for the second-longest streak of wins in the majors. Francona said Lindor had the ability to break out of small bumps, such as the one that experienced a moderate batting drop in the second half of the club's recent tour of New York.
"When he sinks under .300, he hits the ball in the other direction for a few days," said Francona. "Then he hits the ball out of the stadium. He is a very special child.
Daniel Norris (3-11, 4.66), who was on a throwing limit, came out after the third inning. He was spotted in the Tigers canoe, coaches tending to a blister on his hand throwing.
Cleveland made another rally in the fourth quarter against reliever Drew VerHagen when rookie third baseman Yu Chang was singled out and second baseman Mike Freeman dropped a lining between Victor Reyes and Harold Castro in the center left. Chang tried to score early in the match but was knocked out by a good relay from Willi Castro, short striker of the Tigers.
The Indians loaded the bases in seventh place when Greg Allen was hit by a shot for the second consecutive game after singles Chang and Plawecki.
Lindor then sent a large distance from VerHagen to his downtown, which would have resulted in a grand slam in seven other major league fields, including Progressive Field. But Castro continued the ball on the warning track as Freeman scored and scored for the third goal, bringing the advantage to two.
"But I have a good shot on it," Lindor said. "I thought it was going to at least fall, but I hit it too high and Castro did a good game. The job is done, so everything is fine. "
The sacrifice volley was the fifth of Lindor's season and gave him 60 RBI.
Next
The Indians travel to Tampa Bay to start a three-game series against the Rays on Friday at 7:10 pm Righty Shane Bieber (12-6, 3.23) takes the mound for Cleveland in the first game against a coming starter for Tampa.
Bieber will make his fourth career start against the Rays. He is 1-1 with an ERA average of 2.65 against Tampa Bay. He allowed one run on four hits, four walks and 10 strikeouts in five innings on May 24 at Progressive Field.
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