Field Level Media
Aug 7, 2021
Tyler Alexander threw 5 1/3 shutout innings in his longest outing of the season to help the visiting Detroit Tigers to a 2-1 win against the Cleveland Indians in the second game of their three-game series on Saturday night.
Alexander returned to a starting role following the All-Star break and the left-hander responded with his second straight solid outing. Alexander (2-1) allowed four hits, struck out four and didn't walk a batter.
Michael Fulmer, Kyle Funkhouser and Jose Cisnero combined to blank the Indians for 2 2/3 innings before Gregory Soto pitched the ninth for his 13th save.
Eric Haase and Jonathan Schoop had two hits each for Detroit.
Wilson Ramos, who was making his Indians debut after he was released by the Tigers in June, had three hits, including a solo homer in the ninth to break up the shutout.
Cleveland rookie right-hander Eli Morgan (1-4) went seven innings, allowing two runs and six hits. He struck out three and walked one in the longest outing of his career.
Cleveland won the series opener 6-1 on Friday night.
The Tigers put runners on the corners with no outs in the second inning and took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Zack Short.
Detroit tacked on another run in the fifth when Victor Reyes doubled to lead off the inning and came home on a single by Akil Baddoo for a 2-0 lead.
Cleveland center fielder Myles Straw threw wide of second base on the play, allowing Baddoo to take second. It was the first error of Straw's major league career.
Morgan bounced back to retire the next nine batters and keep it a two-run deficit.
Alexander faced the minimum number of batters through the first four innings while throwing just 40 pitches. The only hit for Cleveland in that span belonged to Ramos.
Fulmer pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth, and the Indians stranded six more runners over the final three innings.
--Field Level Media