Indians win 9th straight

Published 11:57 pm Sunday, June 26, 2016

DETROIT (AP) — Lonnie Chisenhall had four hits, including one of Cleveland’s four home runs off Justin Verlander in the fifth inning, and the streaking Indians won their ninth straight game Sunday by beating Detroit 9-3 to remain unbeaten in nine meetings with the Tigers this season.

Juan Uribe, Tyler Naquin and Mike Napoli also went deep for the Indians. Chisenhall was 4 for 4 with a triple and three RBIs.

Mike Tomlin (9-1) beat the Tigers for the third time this year, allowing three runs and six hits in eight innings.

Email newsletter signup

Cleveland overcame three homers by former teammates, including two by Victor Martinez, to sweep Detroit for the third time this year. The Indians have outscored the Tigers 60-20 in nine games.

Only once before had Verlander allowed four homers in a start — also against the Indians in 2007. According to the Elias Sports Bureau and Fox Sports Detroit, he became the first pitcher in franchise history to give up four in one inning.

Verlander (7-6) allowed eight runs on nine hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. It was the 15th time a Tigers starter gave up at least six runs this season, most in the American League and one behind San Diego.

Ex-Indian Mike Aviles gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with a third-inning homer, his first of the season. It was also the first time Detroit had led against Cleveland this year.

In the fourth, though, Michael Martinez walked, went to third on Francisco Lindor’s single and scored on Verlander’s wild pitch. Chisenhall made it 2-1 with an RBI single later in the inning.

Victor Martinez’s 13th homer tied it in the fourth, but the Indians scored six times in the fifth.

Uribe and Naquin started the inning with back-to-back homers to give Cleveland a 4-2 lead. Napoli hit the third home run of the inning with two outs, scoring Lindor to make it 6-2. And after Jose Ramirez singled, Chisenhall homered to right field, chasing Verlander.

Victor Martinez homered again in the sixth to make it 8-3.

BIG INNINGS

Two days after the Indians hit three triples in an inning for the first time in 48 years, they hit four homers in an inning for the third time in franchise history. The other two came in 1963 and 2004.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: 2B Jason Kipnis, who left Saturday’s game with what was originally described as an illness and then changed to “general soreness,” was out of the lineup Sunday. Kipnis joked before the game it was due to hitting two triples in Friday’s game.

Tigers: RF Steven Moya missed his second straight game with a sore knee.

UP NEXT

Indians: Travel to Atlanta for a three-game series against the Braves. Corey Kluber (7-7, 3.59 ERA) is scheduled to start the opener against John Gant (1-2, 4.45). Kluber is coming off a three-hit shutout of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tigers: Off on Monday before hosting the Miami Marlins in a two-game series beginning Tuesday.