The Detroit Tigers weren't able to gain any ground in the AL Central, as the Cleveland Indians furthered their own cause by completing a three-game sweep at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Thursday. Justin Verlander took the hill trying to avoid the sweep and had a solid outing, but Justin Masterson matched him in a successful duel, picking up the win.
Verlander went eight innings, giving up six hits and allowing two runs with a walk and seven strikeouts. He settled down after allowing a homerun in the first inning to Shin Soo Choo and pitched well, but a Jose Lopez single in the fourth inning that scored Michael Brantley was the deciding factor in the 2-1 loss.
Masterson threw seven innings of one-run ball, the lone blemish coming in the third inning when Miguel Cabrera grounded out to short, scoring Quintin Berry. It was a solid play, showing off the speed of Berry, who was recently called up with Austin Jackson likely headed to the 15-day disabled list.
It's the eighth win in 10 games for the Indians, and Masterson's first-ever win over the Tigers. They now have a six-game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central. Detroit has lost six of eight, and will try to right the ship when they take on the Minnesota Twins for a three-game set that gets started on Friday.
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