Cleveland @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 4, 2014 ) Detroit 11, Cleveland 4
Following a strong finish to their last series, the Cleveland Indians hope they are beginning another September surge. The Indians get a chance to make up some ground on a division rival and a team they are chasing in the American League wild-card race at the same time Friday when they begin a three-game set in Detroit against the Tigers. Cleveland entered last September with a 71-64 mark before going 21-6 in the final month of the regular season to claim a wild-card berth.
The Indians have been less successful this time around, however, winning four of their first nine September contests before sweeping a doubleheader Thursday versus Minnesota to close within four games of Kansas City in the AL Central and 3½ of Detroit for the second wild card. The Tigers, who own a half-game lead over Seattle for the second wild card, are coming off a much-needed series win over the Royals to pull within one-half game of the division lead. Detroit lost three of four at home to Cleveland right after the All-Star break, but returned the favor by taking three of four on the road from the Indians to begin September.
TV: 7:08 p.m. ET, MLB Network, STO (Cleveland), FSN Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Carlos Carrasco (7-4, 2.69 ERA) vs. Tigers LH David Price (13-11, 3.33)
Carrasco has been dominant since rejoining the rotation Aug. 10, improving to 4-0 with a 0.70 ERA in that time after permitting four hits over 8 2/3 scoreless innings in Sunday’s victory over the Chicago White Sox. The 27-year-old Venezuelan, who has yielded one run or less in each of his last six outings, also boasts a 42-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over that span. Carrasco is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in five appearances this season versus the Tigers, including a start Sept.2 in which gave up one run on 10 hits while fanning 10 over 5 1/3 innings.
Price fanned 11 to post his 11th double-digit strikeout effort of the season, but lost for the third time in four tries after giving up four runs of his five runs in the opening frame during a 5-4 loss against San Francisco. The 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner came within an out of logging his fourth complete game, but still dropped to 2-3 with a 4.10 ERA in seven turns since he was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. Price won his only start in 2014 versus the Indians Sept. 1 and is 6-1 with a 2.86 ERA all-time against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera is batting .450 with five home runs and 10 RBIs in September after hitting .252 with a homer and 10 RBIs in August.
2. Cleveland C Carlos Santana, who homered in both games of the doubleheader on Thursday, is 6-for-15 against Price.
3. The Indians have split 16 meetings with the Tigers and been outscored by a total of eight runs in those contests after losing 15 of 19 to Detroit last season by a combined 120-70.
PREDICTION: Tigers 2, Indians 1