Young, Martinez homer as Tigers sweep Indians 8-7

By The Associated Press
August 21, 2011

DETROIT — Center fielder Austin Jackson threw out Kosuke Fukudome at the plate to complete a game-ending double play and the Detroit Tigers held on to beat the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in a wild game Sunday.

Delmon Young and Victor Martinez homered in a seven-run third inning as the first-place Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Indians. The Indians could have taken over first place with a sweep of their own, but leave Detroit trailing by 4 1-2 games in the AL Central race.

Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his 37th save in as many tries, but it wasn't easy. He walked Fukudome to start the inning and then hit Jason Donald on an 0-2 pitch. Jack Hannahan bunted the runners over, before pinch-hitter Matt LaPorta lined to centerfield and Jackson threw a perfect strike to the plate to get Fukudome by a step.

Cleveland's Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1) took the loss, giving up eight runs in 3 1-3 innings, but Rick Porcello couldn't take advantage, allowing five in 3 2-3. Phil Coke , the fifth of seven Tigers pitchers, got the win to improve to 2-8.

The Tigers appeared to be in complete control after scoring seven runs in the third, but Porcello couldn't get out of the fourth.

Detroit sent 12 batters to the plate against Jimenez in the third. He threw 47 pitches in the inning, but Manny Acta never had anyone warming up in the pen.

Ramon Santiago and Jackson had RBI singles in the inning before Young hit a three-run homer and Martinez made it a 7-0 game with a two-run shot.

Carlos Santana started Cleveland's rally with a one-out homer in the fourth, and after Porcello retired the next batter, he gave up four straight hits. He was taken out after Michael Brantley 's two-run double pulled the Indians within 7-5.

Young's RBI single in the bottom of the inning made it 8-5, but Hannahan drove in a run with a fifth-inning groundout and Travis Hafner 's sixth-inning RBI single cut the deficit to one run. Hafner came up lame on the play, though, and was tagged out between first and second.

The Indians put runners on second and third in the eighth, but Joaquin Benoit struck out Santana to end the inning.

NOTES: Sunday's attendance of 43,388 put the Tigers over 2 million fans for the seventh straight season. In addition, the three-game series against the Indians drew a total of 132,239 fans for a new Comerica Park record. ... Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing a call at third base. Replays showed that Wilson Betemit beat Hannahan's tag, but Alan Porter ruled him out. ... Lonnie Chisenhall hit for Hafner in the eighth inning and grounded into a force out. The Indians announced that Hafner had a strained right foot.

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