Tigers Vs. Indians: Detroit Avoids Sweep with 7-1 Win Over Cleveland

The Detroit Tigers avoided a three-game sweep in Cleveland with a 7-1 win over the Indians on Wednesday night. The Tigers got on the board early with a two-run home run by Miguel Cabrera in the first inning. Cleveland narrowed the margin in the fourth, when a Michael Brantley single brought home Jason Kipnis. Detroit blew the game open in a five-run eighth inning, highlighted by a Prince Fielder solo home run.

Detroit starter Doug Fister went seven innings in his second start back from a groin injury, giving up just one earned run and four hits while striking out six. Fister is now 8-8 on the season. Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde each contributed one scoreless inning of relief to close out the game. Cleveland starter Ubaldo Jimenez fell to 9-15 on the season after conceding four earned runs in 7.1 innings.

The Tigers have a travel day Thursday before opening a three-game series in Anaheim on Friday. Detroit remains one game behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

Go to Bless You Boys for more Tigers coverage, and Let's Go Tribe for more on the Indians. Also head over to Baseball Nation for all the news from around Major League Baseball.

Tigers Vs. Indians: Starting Lineups For Wednesday's Finale

Desperate to avoid losing all three games in the series, Tigers manager Jim Leyland will look to right-hander Doug Fister on Wednesday night against the visiting Cleveland Indians.

Fister will try to get the Tigers back on track in the AL Central race after the team fell one game behind the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. The 6'8" veteran has allowed two earned runs or less in seven of his last nine starts, and sports an impressive 2.38 ERA over three appearances against the Indians thus far in 2012.

Hoping to provide an abundance of run support against Cleveland starter Ubaldo Jimenez will be Leyland's top-rated lineup against right-handed starters. Outfielder Andy Dirks will make his third consecutive start in left field and bat in the No. 2 hole, while Prince Fielder will return to first base duties after filling the designated hitter spot on Tuesday.

Here are Wednesday's starting lineups:

Tigers
1. Austin Jackson - CF
2. Andy Dirks - LF
3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - 1B
5. Delmon Young - DH
6. Brennan Boesch - RF
7. Jhonny Peralta - SS
8. Alex Avila - C
9. Omar Infante - 2B
Doug Fister - SP

Indians
1. Shin-Soo Choo - RF
2. Jason Kipnis - 2B
3. Asdrubal Cabrera - SS
4. Carlos Santana - C
5. Michael Brantley - CF
6. Cord Phelps - DH
7. Matt LaPorta - 1B
8. Ezequiel Carrera - LF
9. Jason Donald - 3B
Ubaldo Jimenez - SP

Be sure to visit Bless You Boys for more Tigers coverage, and check out Let's Go Tribe for more on the Indians. Also head over to Baseball Nation for even more coverage from around the league.

MLB Standings 2012: Detroit Tigers Trail Chicago White Sox By One Game

The Detroit Tigers trail the Chicago White Sox by one game in the AL Central standings with 27 games remaining for both teams.

The Tigers pulled even with the White Sox after a weekend sweep in Detroit, but the team has lost its first two games against the struggling Cleveland Indians this week while Chicago has split its first two games with the last-place Minnesota Twins. The Tigers close out their series with Cleveland Wednesday evening, then travel west for a weekend series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after a day off Thursday. The Tigers open a four-game series in Chicago Sept. 10 in a matchup that could help determine which team wraps up the division this month.

Here are the complete AL Central standings:

Head over to Bless You Boys for more Tigers coverage, and check out Baseball Nation for even more news from around the league.

Tigers Vs. Indians Preview: Detroit Tries To Avoid Sweep

The Detroit Tigers entered the week tied for first place in the AL Central standings after sweeping the Chicago White Sox and poised to build on that momentum against the struggling Cleveland Indians.

Now, though, after dropping the first two games of the home series with Cleveland, Detroit is simply trying to avoid a sweep in the series finale at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday.

Doug Fister (7-8, 3.27 ERA) starts for the Tigers. Fister gave up 2 earned runs in five innings in his last outing, a Tigers win over the White Sox, on Aug. 31. That was Fister's first start since returning from a groin injury. He is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA in three starts against the Indians this season.

Cleveland counters with Ubaldo Jimenez (9-14, 5.61 ERA). Jimenez is winless in his last four starts. He hasn't lasted more than 5.2 innings or given up fewer than 3 earned runs in any of those starts. He is 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA in four starts against the Tigers this season.

Head over to Bless You Boys for more Tigers coverage, and check out Baseball Nation for even more news from around the league.

Indians Vs. Tigers Final Score: Detroit Falls To Cleveland, 3-2

The Detroit Tigers will not make up any ground on the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. With the White Sox in the midst of getting slaughtered by the Minnesota Twins, the Tigers dropped another close game, falling 3-2 to the Cleveland Indians. It was an ignominious night for the Tigers hitters, who managed only four hits in the game, all of which came off of Cleveland starter Justin Masterson.

Detroit's lone runs came on a Miguel Cabrera two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, which brought the score to what would eventually be the final. The Indians had put up three runs in the first three innings off of Detroit starter Rick Porcello, with Asdrubal Cabrera knocking in the eventual game-winning run with a double in the third.

The Tigers, though, could not manage a single hit off of Cleveland's relievers in 3.1 innings. The only baserunners came on three walks, but Detroit also struck out six times.

The Tigers will be looking to avoid a sweep on Wednesday, when Doug Fister faces off against Ubaldo Jiminez.

Head over to Bless You Boys for more Tigers coverage, and check out Baseball Nation for even more news from around the league.

Miguel Cabrera Named August AL Player Of The Month

Even though he was forced to deal with a nagging ankle injury, Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was still named the American League's Player of the Month for August on Tuesday.

Cabrera hit .357 with eight home runs and 24 RBI in the month, posting a mind-blowing .429 on-base percentage along the way. The All-Star third baseman beat out a stacked group of AL hitters for the award, including teammate Prince Fielder (.370, 7 HR, 21 RBI), and is now ranked second in the league in both RBI (111) and batting average (.331).

On the verge of his best statistical campaign in a Tigers uniform, the 29-year-old Cabrera is currently atop an extremely short list of MVP candidates at the moment. The ankle injury that he suffered in late August still appears to be bothering him a bit, but the good news for Detroit is that he doesn't appear affected by the injury at the plate.

The fact that Cabrera has been producing at such a high level at less than 100% health is quite impressive, and it's more clear than ever that only a handful of players in the sport are capable of doing what Cabrera can offensively. And with an eye-popping .444 average already through three September games, the Tigers' slugger may just be well on his way towards another AL Player of the Month award before the season wraps up.

Head over to Bless You Boys for more Tigers coverage, and check out Baseball Nation for even more news from around the league.

Tigers Vs. Indians: Starting Lineups For Tuesday's Game

Eager to answer back after falling in Monday's opener, the Detroit Tigers will send right-hander Rick Porcello to the hill on Tuesday evening for the second game of the series against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park.

The 23-year-old Porcello will enter in search of his 10th victory, a mark the young hurler looks almost assured to achieve for the fourth straight season to open his career. The sinkerballer last faced the Indians on May 22 in a game where he gave up four earned runs in just 5.1 innings to take the loss, so you can bet Porcello will be anxious to put forth a better effort against one of his rivals this time around.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland will opt to give first baseman Prince Fielder a rest in the field in game two, as recently recalled utilityman Don Kelly will assume first base duties and also bat sixth in the order. After jumping all over Cleveland's projected starter Justin Masterson for seven runs on 10 hits back on Aug. 3, Detroit hitters should enter Tuesday's game with all the confidence in the world from the plate.

Here are the starting lineups for the second game of the series:

Tigers
1. Austin Jackson - CF
2. Andy Dirks - LF
3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - DH
5. Brennan Boesch - RF
6. Don Kelly - 1B
7. Jhonny Peralta - SS
8. Alex Avila - C
9. Omar Infante - 2B
Rick Porcello - SP

Indians
1. Shin-Soo Choo - RF
2. Jason Kipnis - 2B
3. Asdrubal Cabrera - SS
4. Carlos Santana - DH
5. Michael Brantley - CF
6. Russ Canzler - LF
7. Casey Kotchman - 1B
8. Jack Hannahan - 3B
9. Lou Marson - C
Justin Masterson - SP

Head over to Bless You Boys for more Tigers coverage, and be sure to visit Let's Go Tribe for more on the Indians. Also check out Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Tigers Roster Update: Luke Putkonen Recalled From Toledo

In the midst of a tight pennant race, the Detroit Tigers have used the expanded September rosters to add a reliever from their farm system. Luke Putkonen, who made his Major League debut on April 26 of this year, was recalled from Toledo recently:

Tigers have recalled RHP Luke Putkonen from Triple A Toledo. #tigers

— Brian Britten (@BBritten_Tigers) September 4, 2012

Putkonen has appeared in seven games total this year for the big club with 9-2/3 innings pitched. He has an 0-2 record with a 6.52 ERA, giving up seven earned runs and 15 hits.

At Triple-A Toledo this year he has a 3-3 record with a 4.92 ERA in 24 games with two starts. He also had 46 strikeouts in 56-2/3 innings.

For more on the Detroit Tigers, check out Bless You Boys. You can also head over to SB Nation's main MLB hub at Baseball Nation.

Tigers Vs. Indians: Detroit Continues To Falter After Success

For whatever reason, the Tigers have not been able to find much success against the Indians this year. Cleveland is the only AL Central team with a winning record against the Tigers at 8-5 after Monday's game.

The series-opening loss at Comerica Park came right after Detroit moved back into a first-place tie in the division following a sweep of the White Sox. But every time the Tigers have done something well this season, it has been followed by failures, as noted by Bless You Boys.

You have to admit, you saw this coming. You did see this coming, right? These Tigers do not do well with success. Win a bunch of games, get swept by the Royals. Sweep the White Sox to move into first place ... lose to the Indians.

But it's not just that. It's the inconsistent offense. This has nothing to do with Jim Leyland resting Austin Jackson or anything else. The Tigers' lineup is so inconsistent with scoring runs that you always expect the worst and hope to be pleasantly surprised. Six of the last 12 games, the Tigers have been held to three runs or less. Unsurprisingly, they've lost four of those contests.

Chicago's win Monday night put the Tigers one game back of the White Sox again. All season long, fans have waited for the Tigers to get hot and pull away. With a month left in the season, they're almost out of time.

Tigers Vs. Indians Preview: Rick Porcello Looks To Get Back On Track

Last season, the Tigers were able to feast on the bottom-dwellers of the AL Central en route to the division title.

But this year, Detroit is 5-8 against the woeful Indians after Monday's loss — the only AL Central team with a winning record against the Tigers, who will send Rick Porcello to the mound Tuesday looking to get back on track in the second game of a three-game series.

Porcello has lost four straight starts, although he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in either of his last three. The Indians will counter with Justin Masterson.

Game Date & Time: Tuesday, Sept. 4, 7:05 p.m. ET

TV: FOX Sports Detroit

Radio: 97.1

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Detroit. For more in-depth coverage of this series, check out Detroit Tigers blog Bless You Boys as well as Indians blog Let's Go Tribe. For more news, notes and analysis from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.

Tigers Call Up Luke Putkonen, According To Report

The Detroit Tigers are expected to call up Luke Putkonen on Tuesday, according to a report from the Toledo Blade.

Putkonen will come up from Triple-A Toledo where he was optioned on August 24. The Tigers must wait until Tuesday to call up Putkonen because players must spend 10 days in the minors once they are called down.

The 26-year-old will return to the Major Leagues after being called up twice this season. Putkonen has pitched in seven games for the Tigers this season, allowing seven earned runs over 9-2/3 innings. Putkonen made 24 appearances in Triple-A this season, compiling a 4.92 ERA over 56-2/3 innings.

Putkonen is expected to pitch in relief for the Tigers this season and is also slated to pitch in the Arizona Fall League.

For more on the Detroit Tigers, check out Bless You Boys. You can also head over to SB Nation's main MLB hub at Baseball Nation.

Indians Vs. Tigers Final Score: Detroit Loses 3-2

Trying to follow up on a huge sweep of the White Sox, the Detroit Tigers lost 3-2 to the Cleveland Indians on Monday afternoon. With just seven hits overall on the day, including just two of the extra-base variety, the Tigers struggled to put runs on the board.

Anibal Sanchez pitched well for the Tigers, allowing two unearned runs on eight hits and one walk over six innings, but reliever Darin Downs blew the lead in the seventh inning before Brayan Villarreal shut things down with five straight outs.

Delmon Young was the biggest performer on offense for Detroit, going 2-for-4 with a double. Two different players on the Indians had two hits apiece, plus Shin-Soo Choo thrived in the leadoff spot with a single, three walks and a stolen base.

For more on the Detroit Tigers, check out Bless You Boys. You can also head over to SB Nation's main MLB hub at Baseball Nation.

Tigers Vs. Indians Lineups: Anibal Sanchez, Corey Kluber To Duel

The Detroit Tigers completed a much-needed sweep over the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox on Sunday, and in doing so brought themselves into a tie for the division. Both teams sport a 72-61 record, while the team in third-place sits a full 12 games back of the division lead. Detroit's next opponent, the Cleveland Indians, is 16.5 games back of the lead.

This is a stark contrast to the beginning of the season, when the Indians were in the lead in the division and were beating Detroit at every turn. They were one of the most surprising teams, but quickly fell behind, especially after the All-Star Break. Now, the Tigers are riding a three-game winning streak (which comes after a three-game losing streak), while the Indians have dropped 16 of their last 18 games.

Corey Kluber and Anibal Sanchez will be taking the mound for their respective teams. Both the Indians and Tigers are changing more than a couple players around in their linups. The game is set for 1:05 p.m. and we've got the full lineups for both teams below.

Detroit Tigers

1. Quintin Berry CF
2. Andy Dirks LF
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Delmon Young DH
6. Brennan Boesch RF
7. Jhonny Peralta SS
8. Alex Avila C
9. Omar Infante 2B

Cleveland Indians

1. Shin-Soo Choo RF
2. Jason Kipnis 2B
3. Asdrubal Cabrera SS
4. Michael Brantley CF
5. Russ Canzler DH
6. Casey Kotchman 1B
7. Ezequiel Carrera LF
8. Jack Hannahan 3B
9. Lou Marson C

For more on the Detroit Tigers, check out Bless You Boys. You can also head over to SB Nation's main MLB hub at Baseball Nation.

Indians Vs. Tigers Preview: Detroit Welcomes Cleveland On Monday

The Tigers begin a series against the Indians on Monday.