Detroit @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 26, 2016 ) Cleveland 9, Detroit 3

The Cleveland Indians used strong pitching to guide the way to a franchise-record 14 straight wins but watched their hurlers melt down over the weekend. The Indians will try to put the staff back together and avoid a third straight setback when they host the red-hot Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game series on Monday.

Cleveland had its winning streak come to an end with a 9-6 setback on Saturday and had to send catcher Chris Gimenez to the mound to throw the final two innings in a 17-1 drubbing on Sunday. The 26 runs allowed in the two losses was one fewer than the staff permitted in the 14 previous games combined, which included a three-game sweep of the Tigers from June 24-26. Detroit has not lost since falling to Cleveland on June 26 and began its road trip by taking four straight at Tampa Bay by a combined 28-12. The Tigers rallied for all five of their runs in the final two innings of Sunday’s 5-1 win, capped by Ian Kinsler’s two-run blast in the ninth.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN Detroit, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers LH Daniel Norris (1-0, 4.09 ERA) vs. Indians RH Danny Salazar (10-3, 2.22)

Norris has yet to record an out in the sixth inning but did manage to secure a win over Miami on Wednesday, when he struck out eight and scattered two runs and eight hits over five frames. The 23-year-old kept the ball in the park in that outing after surrendering three solo home runs to the Seattle Mariners in his previous turn. Norris faced Cleveland once last season and allowed four hits in three scoreless frames.

Salazar is enjoying a six-start winning streak and dominated at Atlanta on Wednesday, scattering five hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out eight without issuing a walk. The Dominican Republic native leads the American League in ERA and allowed three or fewer earned runs in 14 of his 15 starts. Salazar was not quite as sharp at Detroit on June 24, when he was reached for three runs on four hits and five walks in 5 2/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Kinsler homered in each of the last two games and took over the team lead with 52 RBIs.

2. Cleveland 3B Juan Uribe (hand) was scratched from the lineup on Sunday and is day-to-day.

3. Detroit LHP Kyle Ryan has thrown eight scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts and one walk in his last six appearances.

PREDICTION: Indians 6, Tigers 2