Tomlin writes next chapter in comeback story Right-hander steps in for Kluber with four-hitter to beat Tigers By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | + 1 COMMENTS DETROIT -- Being stuck in rehab can be akin to being in solitary confinement for a ballplayer. When the monotonous daily exercises are complete, there is little to do, except to wait for the arrival of the next box on the schedule's checklist.

For Josh Tomlin, his comeback from preseason shoulder surgery kept him in Arizona for much of this season. For months, long before Friday's complete-game gem in an 8-1 win over the Tigers, the Indians starter tried to stay connected to his team by monitoring as many innings as possible from the desert. "I would watch every single game that we played while I was in Arizona," Tomlin said. "Even rehabbing in Cleveland, I'd watch every game." What Tomlin has accomplished through five outings since rejoining the Major League rotation has been, at least in part, a byproduct of watching from afar. If he could not be on the mound competing, the veteran right-hander wanted to do what he could to study the game, watching opposing batters and focusing on how certain attacked with specific pitches. Back in Cleveland, while Tomlin worked on strengthening his arm for the season's first four-plus months, Indians manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway held out hope that the righty would help the team down the stretch. After his win over Detroit, Tomlin improved to 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA, 32 and only three walks since his return. On Friday, while filling in for ace Corey Kluber (scratched due to a right hamstring strain), Tomlin limited the Tigers to one run on four hits. The crafty right-hander kept Detroit's offense off-balance, ending with six strikeouts and only one walk. "Oh, man. He was so good," Francona said. "He changed speeds, pounded the strike zone with all his pitches, had a good . He used his really effectively. That was fun to watch." This, Francona said, is what the team had in mind all along. "That's kind of what we were hoping," Francona said. "I think we wanted to try to give him enough time -- because knowing J.T., he was going to try to come back as quick as he can -- to come back so he could help us. Mickey and I were talking about it the whole year, because you know you're going to need pitching." Tomlin said watching the games helped with his preparation for his comeback. "You kind of see what those guys are trying to do against certain guys," Tomlin said. "And you kind of take it from there and see like, 'OK, that heater worked in there. I wondered what I would do if I could sneak it in there, or if I elevate it just a tad bit,' if they'd get to it, seeing if they start cheating to that pitch. Then, I can go back away. It's knowing guys' strengths and teasing them a little bit, and then trying to go back to your strength and get outs as quick as you can." Tomlin certainly found a rhythm on Friday, when Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera managed the only breakthrough with an RBI single in the sixth inning. Beyond that, Tomlin continued on his impressive comeback trail and turned in his fifth straight outing of at least six innings. All five starts have also included at least five strikeouts. Prior to this year, Tomlin had not hit those marks in consecutive outings. The only previous year he had a five-start streak of at least six innings came in 2011, when he did it three times en route to a 12-win season. Then came Tommy John surgery near the end of 2012, and then the shoulder injury this year. Like the Indians, Tomlin kept the faith that he could comeback strong. "I don't think there was any doubt that I would be able to return to [my old form]," Tomlin said. "My game is not to go out there and strike guys out. So, once I figured out the strike zone again and both sides of the plate and being able to mix it up, it was just a matter of executing it in a game."

Indians gain ground behind Tomlin's 4-hitter By Jordan Bastian and Jason Beck / MLB.com | + 33 COMMENTS DETROIT -- Corey Kluber's scratch from his scheduled start did nothing to slow down the resurgent Indians, who used a four-hitter from Josh Tomlin and two big hits from Jerry Sands to roll past the Tigers for an 8-1 win Friday night at Comerica Park.

"Oh, man. He was so good," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He changed speeds, pounded the strike zone with all his pitches, had a good curveball. He used his fastball really effectively. That was fun to watch." • Tomlin writes next chapter in comeback story Kluber, who tweaked his right hamstring earlier this week during a mound session in Toronto, is expected to miss a start or two. The move did not catch the Tigers by surprise, but Tomlin -- whom the Tigers roughed up twice in as many starts last year -- did. He retired 15 out of 16 batters between base hits, surrendering his lone run on a Miguel Cabrera single in the sixth. Tigers starter Kyle Lobstein tried to keep pace, but fell behind for good when Sands homered to left-center in the third inning. Sands' triple his next time up set off a four-run fifth inning that put the game out of reach. "Not very good," Lobstein said. "I fell behind too many hitters and gave them too many pitches to hit behind in the count." With the win and Texas' 5-2 loss to the Angels, the Indians moved within five games of the American League's second Wild Card. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Sands storm: Through his first two at-bats, Sands checked off the hardest elements of a cycle. The outfielder launched a two-run homer to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the third inning and then led off the fifth with a triple. Sands finished 2-for-4. Travis Hafner (Aug. 14, 2003 against Minnesota) remains the last Indians batter to accomplish the rare feat. "You get the and a triple in the first two at-bats," Sands said. "And the triple is harder for me than the home run most of the time, so you're always thinking about [a cycle]. I just tried to take my last two at-bats as normal ones. I haven't been swinging the bat great lately. So, I'd rather get something out of them than to try and hit a double or a single right there. I want to try and get back into a groove." Sands triples to right-center Sands triples to right-center 9/4/15: Jerry Sands drives a ball into the right-center-field gap and legs out a triple in the top of the 5th inning Locked when loaded: The Indians rank last in the Majors with a .177 average (17-for-96) with the bases loaded this season, but amazingly rank first in in runs scored (31) with the bags full via walks, sacrifice flies and hit batsmen. That trend continued in the fifth, when Yan Gomes was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Abraham Almonte later added a bases-loaded walk, accounting for two of the Tribe's four runs in the inning. "We'll take anything," Francona said. "But, I thought our guys did a good job. Gomer got hit in the wrist. Almonte laid off some tough pitches. We've done a better job. I think when you're starting to get walks, one, it means you're commanding the strike zone -- you're not going out of the zone. That'll lead to getting hits, if you do that." September is the Month of Machado: With Jose Iglesias sidelined for at least the next two weeks with a non-displaced fracture in his right middle finger, Dixon Machado began his late-season look at shortstop with a splash. His diving catch up the middle robbed Jason Kipnis of a hit in the top of the sixth inning. Of course, he had to lead off the bottom half of the inning, doubling down the left-field line to set up Detroit's lone run on a Cabrera single. "Machy looked good," manager Brad Ausmus said. "He had a real solid year in Toledo. We always had known he's a solid defender. He started hitting the last couple years. Nice double tonight, for sure, and he'll probably get quite a bit more playing time now with Iglesias being out with a broken finger." More > Another milestone for Cabrera: Cabrera's single was his 1,471st as a Tiger, tying him with Dick McAuliffe for 14th in franchise history. Cabrera went 1-for-4, dropping his average to .360, but he leads Michael Brantley by 38 points for the AL lead and Bryce Harper by 29 points for best in the Majors. QUOTABLE "We had a good game plan going forward and we executed when we needed to. The guys played great defense behind me. There were some pretty hard hit balls in the outfield that those guys ran down and did a great job on. It was a complete team effort. The guys put runs on the board and my job is to go out there and pump strikes, and try to get us back to the dugout so they can swing it some more." --Tomlin, on throwing a four-hitter. "I think that hits the nail right on the head," --Ausmus, when asked to describe the Tigers' current skid and the lack of pitching behind it. SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Tigers' run differential fell to minus-98 this season, the worst in the American League. Nearly half of that difference has come in the last seven games, during which they've been outscored by 48 runs. Ausmus on Machado, loss to Tribe Ausmus on Machado, loss to Tribe 9/4/15: Tigers manager Brad Ausmus discusses Dixon Machado's debut and his squad's injury troubles after being routed by the Indians, 8-1 WHAT'S NEXT Indians: The Tribe will send hard-throwing righty Danny Salazar (12-7, 3.27 ERA) to the mound for Saturday's 7:08 p.m. ET divisional clash with the Tigers. Over his past seven outings, Salazar has posted a 2.12 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. On Monday in Toronto, he held the Blue Jays to one run over seven innings, ending with 10 strikeouts and one walk. Tigers: Alfredo Simon, who gave up four Blue Jays home runs in his last start Sunday at Toronto, will try to rebound against an Indians lineup he has beaten three times in as many meetings this season, though all before mid-June.

Simon faces Indians searching for 12th win By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | + 1 COMMENTS The Tigers can only hope that seeing the Indians again will help Alfredo Simon get back on track. The right-hander will square off against Cleveland on Saturday, taking on a team that he tormented during his strong start to this season for Detroit.

Simon (11-9, 5.09 ERA) opened his first season with the Tigers with a 7-3 record and 2.58 ERA through his first 12 outings, dating back to his June 14 start against the Tribe. Within that impressive stretch, the Tigers starter went 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA in three outings against Cleveland. In the 13 starts since then, Simon has a 4-6 record with a 7.84 ERA. Over his past two starts, Simon has given up 14 runs on 15 hits in only 9 1/3 innings. The Indians will counter with hard-throwing right-hander Danny Salazar (12-7, 3.27 ERA), who has been on a strong run. Salazar has turned in a 2.12 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings over his past seven turns for the Tribe. On Monday in Toronto, he held the Blue Jays' potent lineup to two runs over seven innings, ending with 10 strikeouts and one walk. One matchup to watch will be Salazar against Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera. Salazar has struck him out 10 times in 23 plate appearances, but Cabrera has gotten the for eight hits and two home runs. Things to know about this game • Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias will be out at least two weeks with a non-displaced fracture of his right middle finger. Iglesias was injured attempting to lay down a bunt during Thursday's loss to the Royals. • Carlos Santana's single in the second inning on Friday extended his hitting streak to 11 games for the Indians. The switch-hitter has posted a .250 average (4-for-16) in his career against Simon. Indians outfielder Michael Brantley has hit .588 (10-for-17) with four doubles and seven RBIs against Simon in his career. • The Indians promoted Giovanni Soto from Triple-A on Friday to add another lefty to Cleveland's bullpen, which only had left-hander Kyle Crockett. While with Triple-A Columbus this year, Soto held lefties to a .224 average and righties to a .162 average in 53 2/3 innings.

Indians promote Soto, Martinez from Triple-A By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | + 4 COMMENTS DETROIT -- The Indians added a pair of players prior to Friday's 8-1 win over the Tigers, giving the bench an extra hand and the bullpen an additional arm. Cleveland purchased the contracts of both infielder Michael Martinez and left-hander Giovanni Soto from Triple-A Columbus, increasing the Tribe's active roster to 30 players. In order to clear room on the 40-man roster for both players, the Indians designated Minor League outfielder Carlos Moncrief for assignment and transferred lefty TJ House (left shoulder) to the 60-day disabled list. Martinez and Soto join right-handed relievers Gavin Floyd and Shawn Armstrong and corner infielder Chris Johnson as the five players the Indians have added since rosters expanded on Tuesday. Soto is a 24-year-old former starting pitcher who has turned heads with impressive performances since transitioning to the bullpen. At Double-A Akron last season -- his first as a full-time reliever -- Soto carried a 3.23 ERA and a 2.73 Fielding Independent Pitching in 53 relief innings. This year, in Triple-A Columbus, he has a 2.68 ERA and a 3.18 FIP in 53 2/3 innings. "We wanted to get another lefty and Giovanni has had a really good year," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "It seems like this year, he started to understand some of the things that were necessary for him to start to pitch like he can. Hi numbers have been really good. We wanted to give us a chance to have more than one lefty. So, we're going to get a chance to get a look at him just to see if and how much and where he fits moving forward." Martinez is a 32-year-old utility man who was a candidate to make the big league roster out of . Martinez has played parts of four Major League seasons, starting with Philadelphia in 2011 and most recently appearing for Pittsburgh in '14. He's played every position except and first base in the big leagues, and he owns a career slash line of .181/.231/.251 in 440 plate appearances. He was batting .289/.344/.424 in Columbus this season, primarily playing second base. "He impressed everybody this spring with how he went about everything," Francona said. "He goes to Triple-A and by all accounts, [Columbus manager Chris Tremie], everybody, [said] he was probably the best teammate in the organization this year. ... We thought it made sense, because if we feel like he can be a utility guy on our team next year, we should probably watch him do that for a month"

Kluber scratched due to hamstring strain Indians ace to miss a start or two, but is expected to return this season By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | + 5 COMMENTS DETROIT -- The Indians are already facing a daunting task in terms of staying in the hunt for an American League Wild Card spot. Cleveland's chances took another hit on Friday, when ace Corey Kluber was scratched from his scheduled start against the Tigers.

The Indians announced that Kluber sustained a right hamstring strain, which will likely keep him out of the rotation for at least two turns. The Tribe is optimistic, however, that the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner will be able to return to the mound before the end of this season. "He's going to be down for I'd say a minimum of 10 days," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Rather than put too much of a timetable on it, when he's ready, we'll pitch him. That's kind of where we are there." With Kluber scratched from Friday's scheduled start in Detroit, right-hander Josh Tomlin moved up a slot to start the opener of the three-game set against the Tigers and tossed a four-hitter in the Indians' 8-1 win. Righty Danny Salazar is now slated to start against Detroit on Saturday and righty Cody Anderson will get the nod for Sunday. Righty Trevor Bauer started on Wednesday in Toronto, putting him on pace to start on Monday in the opener of a three-game road series against the White Sox. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco is on the 15-day disabled list due to a right shoulder issue but could be activated for a start on Tuesday in Chicago, barring any setbacks. The 29-year-old Kluber has not started since Saturday in Cleveland, but the righty tweaked his hamstring initially during a mound session on the Indians' recent trip to Toronto. According to Francona, the issue worsened later when Kluber tried to run through some conditioning drills "He went and conditioned, and probably exacerbated it a little bit," Francona said. "I still think he thought he was going to pitch. The more the trainers looked at him, we had the day off [on Thursday], [so we] thought, 'OK, let's get him back to Cleveland, get him looked at.'" In recent weeks, pitchers have taken to kicking a soccer ball around and playing catch with a football during pregame drills. Francona said Kluber, who often takes part in those fun workout sessions, did not injure himself in a non-baseball activity. "We want the guys to enjoy [themselves]," Francona said. "But, we don't ever want something to happen that shouldn't. So, [Indians strength and conditioning coach Joe Kessler] was always there when the football''s there, so no. He felt it first when he was in the bullpen." In 28 starts this season for the Tribe, who headed into Friday's action with a 64-68 record and a six-game deficit in the race for the AL's second Wild Card, Kluber has gone 8-13 with a 3.41 ERA, 219 strikeouts and 38 walks in 200 1/3 innings. He also ranked fourth among AL pitchers with a 5.2 WAR (per Frangraphs.com), entering Friday. Kluber also has a 2.63 ERA with 43 strikeouts, six walks and two complete games in his past five outings (37 2/3 innings), and he has posted a 2.95 ERA over his past 21 starts, dating back to his 18- performance on May 13 against the Cardinals.

Indians 8, Tigers 1: Friday’s One Last Thing on Josh Tomlin being smart with what he has By Ryan Lewis Published: September 4, 2015 The Indians cruised past the 8-1 Friday night. Jerry Sands hit a two-run home run in the third inning that ended up being all the run support Josh Tomlin would need, as he allowed only one run on four hits and threw a complete game. Friday’s One Last Thing: Josh Tomlin doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he’s been smart with the tools that he has, and it’s been working. Tomlin threw one of the better games of his career, only allowing a Miguel Cabrera RBI single in an otherwise stellar outing. It also came with him starting on somewhat short notice, as he didn’t know he’d be taking the mound until yesterday after Corey Kluber went down with a strained hamstring. Tomlin is now 4-1 since coming back from shoulder surgery (which followed Tommy John Surgery a few years ago) with an ERA of 2.55, and he’s looked like a better version of the finesse pitcher that was battling for the No. 5 spot in the rotation this past spring. It’s come at an especially important time for the Indians, who have seen Kluber go down, Carlos Carrasco head to the disabled list and Danny Salazar come down with an illness. Being six games back of the second Wild Card spot with a month to play, any let-down in the rotation would spell the Indians’ doom. “That's kind of what we were hoping,” said Indians manager Terry Francona. “I think we wanted to try to give him enough time—because knowing J.T., he was going to try to come back as quick as he can—to come back so he could help us. Mickey and I were talking about it the whole year, because you know you're going to need pitching. We kept saying, 'If we can just let Josh get ready, he can really give us a boost, because we think he can pitch.” Tomlin has stepped up. And he’s done it void of “stuff” to match Kluber, Carrasco, Salazar or Trevor Bauer. He’s had to pitch smarter. “My expectation as a starting pitcher is to do whatever I can do to keep this team in the game for as long as I can,” Tomlin said.”That’s been my expectation since the day I was called up to the big leagues and that’s never going to change for me. I know I’m not a high stuff guy, a high strikeout guy. So my job is to try to keep guys off balance as much as I can. I’ve had success doing that before in the past, so I’m expecting anything more than that right there, just trying to go out there and compete as much as I can and try to give us a chance to win every single game.” When Tomlin was on the shelf, he took to watching film whenever he could, trying to pick up things in opposing hitter’s swings. Tomlin thinks he’s pitching smarter than he has in the past. “As a whole, yes,” Tomlin said. “Being able to read swings a little bit better. I was able to do that the first couple years. I wouldn’t say I lost that, that feel for it, but not being able to pitch for 2-3 years, you watch a lot of baseball games and try to figure out what you could do to make yourself better. I think in that aspect I’ve tried to work on that as much as I can. … You kind of see what those guys are trying to do against certain guys and you kinda take it from there and see like, ‘OK, that heater worked in there. I wondered what I would do if I could sneak it in there or if I elevate it just a tad bit if they’d get to it. Seeing if they start cheating to that pitch then I can go back away. It’s knowing guys’ strengths and teasing them a little bit and then trying to go back to your strength and get outs as quick as you can.” Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 09.05.2015 Indians 8, Tigers 1: Josh Tomlin throws complete game, Indians bring plenty of offense in win over Tigers By Ryan Lewis DETROIT: The Indians received some good news and some bad news Friday. The bad news was that ace Corey Kluber was being scratched from his start and will miss at least 10 days with a strained hamstring. The good news is that Josh Tomlin, taking the mound in Kluber’s place, threw a complete game and the Indians’ offense gave him plenty of support to pick up a needed 8-1 win against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Friday night. With a month officially left in the regular season, the Indians (65-68) opened Friday six games back of the Texas Rangers for the second wild- card spot in the American League. Normally, entering a series in that spot against the Tigers (61-73) — who have had the Indians’ number for three seasons — would spell doom. But this Tigers team is a shell of the one that crushed the Indians in their home opening series, and the Indians took advantage on Friday. Facing Tigers starter Kyle Lobstein (3-6), the Indians jumped ahead in the third inning. Abraham Almonte opened the inning with a walk and Jerry Sands followed with a two-run home run to left field, his third of the season. Sands then opened the fifth inning with a triple and scored on Giovanny Urshela’s single up the middle, giving the Indians a 3-0 lead. With one out, and Michael Brantley each doubled to make it 4-0. Carlos Santana was intentionally walked to load the bases and Lobstein was taken out of the game in favor of relief pitcher Drew VerHagen. As has been the case for the entire season, the Indians did more damage by being patient with the bases loaded. Yan Gomes was hit by a pitch and Almonte drew a walk to push the Indians’ lead to 6-0. The Indians now have as many walks (17) as hits with the bases loaded this season. Lonnie Chisenhall, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Sands, roped a two-RBI double in the seventh inning to make it 8-1. Tomlin (4-1), acting as the de facto fifth starter, gave the bullpen a night off and allowed only one run and four hits while striking out six. He’s given the Indians much-needed stability in the starting rotation as Kluber, Carlos Carrasco (disabled list, shoulder inflammation) and Danny Salazar (illness) all have dealt with recent ailments. The Indians face the Tigers twice more this weekend and four more times next week at home. Should the Indians start to make up enough ground to truly challenge the Rangers for the wild card, they’ll have to go through Detroit. They got off to a good start on Friday. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 09.05.2015 Indians notebook: Ace Corey Kluber has strained hamstring, out at least 10 days By Ryan Lewis DETROIT: The Indians will be without Corey Kluber for his next couple of scheduled starts, as he will be out at least 10 days with a strained right hamstring. Kluber felt his hamstring pull a bit while throwing a side session as part of his normal in-between-starts routine. At the time it didn’t seem to be serious, though he might have made it worse while doing some conditioning later. The Indians chose to be cautious on their off-day on Thursday and took a look, ultimately deciding to shut him down for a stretch. The Indians do expect Kluber to pitch again this season. “He’s going to be down for, I’d say, a minimum of 10 days,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “Rather than put too much of a timetable on it, when he’s ready, we’ll pitch him. That’s kind of where we are there.” Kluber, before games on his off days, often likes to come out with a soccer ball or a football and run routes. Francona said the team always has strength and conditioning coach Joe Kessler out with the players when they do this, and that Kluber felt the hamstring while he was throwing in the bullpen during his side session, not while out on the field. Kluber was slated to pitch Friday night against Detroit. Thanks to the off-day Thursday, the Indians can slide the rotation up a day and still have each pitcher start on normal rest. Danny Salazar will pitch Saturday and Cody Anderson will start Sunday to follow Josh Tomlin, who took Kluber’s place on the mound Friday. Trevor Bauer will then throw Monday. Tuesday’s start is a bit up in the air, though if everything goes well with Carlos Carrasco, that could be his day. Carrasco has been on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation after he felt more sore than normal after his Aug. 21 start against New York. “Arm-wise, he’s doing fine,” Francona said. “He’ll play catch today and throw a side [Saturday] with the possibility of maybe starting on Tuesday. We’ll see. He’s doing fine. But for him to start a game and to not need another side, he’d have to be really good, but [I’m] not sure that won’t happen.” Roster moves The Indians on Friday made a couple of roster moves. They purchased the contracts of utility man Michael Martinez and left-handed relief pitcher Giovanni Soto, bringing the active roster to 30 players. Soto was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for . He didn’t get off to the best start in the Indians’ organization but this season has a 2.68 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 53Ҁ innings pitched in Triple-A Columbus. Martinez joined the Indians in the spring as a non-roster invitee and impressed both on the field and off. In Triple-A, Martinez is hitting .289 with 34 extra-base hits, 42 RBI and 11 steals. Francona praised Martinez twice on Friday, first for being able to play seven positions and then for being the best teammate in the organization in spring training. “He goes to Triple-A and by all accounts, [to Triple-A manager Chris Tremie], everybody, he was probably the best teammate in the organization this year,” Francona said. “Seemed like he helped the younger guys, was always there for everybody, was always on time, worked hard. When somebody got called up he’d play a different position. Never complained about anything.” To make room on the 40-man roster, starting pitcher TJ House was transferred to the 60-day disabled list and outfielder Carlos Moncrief was designated for assignment. House has been on the disabled list since May 1 with shoulder inflammation. He was on the 15-day disabled list, and moving him to the 60-day opens up a spot on the 40-man roster. Moncrief had struggled mightily this season, hitting just .187 with seven home runs in 57 games at Triple-A Columbus. Last year, he hit .271 with 12 home runs and 33 doubles. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 09.05.2015 Josh Tomlin, Jerry Sands help handle Detroit Tigers: DMan's Report, Game 133 Dennis Manoloff, CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh Tomlin pitched a four-hitter and Jerry Sands went 2-for-4 with two RBI as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Detroit Tigers, 8-1, Friday night at Comerica Park in Detroit. Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast: Hanging around: The Indians (65-68) have won seven of nine. They have pulled within 5.0 games of the Texas Rangers (70-63) for the second AL wild card. The Rangers lost to the L.A. Angels, 5-2, later Friday in Anaheim, Calif. Problem for the Indians is, the Angels (68-66) are one of three teams between them and the Rangers. The other two between them, the (69-65) and (66-68), each lost its second in a row Friday. Reeling: The Tigers, who, along with the Indians, are among MLB's most disappointing clubs in 2015, slipped to 61-73. They have lost 12 of 14. Little Cowboy on fire: Tomlin, pinch-pitching for Corey Kluber, walked one and struck out six. He threw 70 of 104 pitches for strikes. Tomlin was coming of a quality start against the Angels in Cleveland. He moved up a day in the rotation because Kluber is dealing with a hamstring issue. Tomlin (4-1, 2.55 ERA) relied, as usual, on a fastball/cutter/curve/ combination. The cutter was as good as it ever has been. The Tigers' only run came in the sixth, but it only served to slice their deficit to 6-1. Miguel Cabrera -- surprise, surprise -- hit a two-out RBI single. Cabrera is 27-for-46 against the Indians this season. As great as Cabrera is, Tomlin held him to 1-for-4, which meant his average dropped from .361 to .360. Cabrera popped foul to catcher Yan Gomes in the first (1-1 fastball inner half); struck out looking in the fourth (0-2 curve inside corner); had the RBI single in the sixth (1-0 fastball over the plate); and popped to first baseman Sands in the ninth (2-0 fastball inner third). The fourth-inning AB lasted three pitches. Tomlin opened with a changeup (84 mph) for a called strike. Miggy fouled a fastball (90) before being locked up by the hook (76). The ability of Tomlin and Gomes to keep the meat of Detroit's lineup off-balance was key to the dominant performance. Nos. 2-5 -- Ian Kinsler, Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, Victor Martinez -- combined to go 2-for-15 with the RBI and one walk. Mr. Sands Man flexes: Sands, batting eighth in manager Terry Francona's lineup against lefty Kyle Lobstein, hit a two-run homer to left in the third. Sands also drove in No. 7 Abraham Almonte, who led off with a walk. Sands led off the fifth with a triple to right and scored on No. 9 Giovanny Urshela's single. The Indians knocked out Lobstein en route to scoring four in the inning and taking a 6-0 lead. Lobstein, who had not pitched in the majors since May 23 because of a shoulder injury, allowed six runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Lobstein and his finesse have given Tribe batters some trouble the past two years. Plenty of help from below: Almonte, Sands and Urshela combined to go 4-for-10 with four RBI, four runs and two walks. Swing of beauty: Lonnie Chisenhall, pinch-hitting for Chris Johnson in the seventh, smoked a two-run double to right-center off righty Jeff Ferrell. Chisenhall displayed terrific mechanics and plate coverage against the fastball tailing to the outer half and down. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.05.2015 Cleveland Indians beat Detroit Tigers, 8-1, behind Josh Tomlin's four-hitter Paul Hoynes, on September 04, 2015 at 9:54 PM, updated September 04, 2015 at 11:15 PM DETROIT -- It was a good night for the Indians. They beat a left-handed starter who just so happened to pitch for the Detroit Tigers. What are the odds on that? If this was May instead of September it was would have been a sucker's bet. On Friday night at Comerica Park, the whims of chance were a lot more balanced as the Tribe's 8-1 victory points out. The Indians are still only 4-9 against the Tigers and 18-27 in games started by left-handers this season, but Friday night was an indication of the direction the two teams are headed. The Tribe and Tigers voided themselves of veterans around the July 31 trading deadline. The Tribe started playing better. The Tigers, who started the season in search of their fifth straight AL Central title, went the other way. "The last time we saw them they were beating us up and the rest of the league as usual," said manager Terry Francona before the game. "Who would have thought we'd come back here now and be ahead of them? "They've had a lot things not go the way they thought they'd go. But those names in the lineup still look the same to me." The Indians entered the game in third place in the AL Central, while the Tigers were last. Josh Tomlin (4-1, 2.55) has never had a lot good fortune against Detroit, but last night he was in control. Tomlin, filling in for injured Corey Kluber, won his fourth straight start as he allowed one run on four hits in the Tribe's ninth complete game of the season. It was Tomlin's third career complete game and his first since his one-hitter againt Seattle on June 28, 2014. Tomlin struck out six and walked one on 104 pitches. In his last four starts, he's struck out 27 in 29 innings. Left-hander Kyle Lobstein, just off the disabled list, allowed eight runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings for the Tigers. Lobstein (4-5, 5.02) had two early-season victories over the Indians, but Friday night they extracted some revenge. Jerry Sands hit a two-run homer in the third for a 2-0 lead. It was his first homer since Aug. 8. The Indians put the game away with four runs in the fifth. Sands opened the inning with a triple to center. Giovanny Urshela delivered Sands with a single and Michael Brantley brought him home with a double. Pinch-hitter Lonnie Chisenhall made it 8-1 with a two-run double in the seventh. The Tigers only run came on Miguel Cabrera's single in the sixth. It was Cabrera's 17th RBI against the Indians this season. What it means The Indians (65-68) beat the Tigers for just the fourth time in 13 games this season. They've won eight of their last 11 games and are 19-31 in the AL Central. The Tigers (61-73) continued their downward spiral. They've lost 12 of their last 14 games. Load them up The Indians have struggled with the bases loaded all year. In fact, they're the worst hitting team in the big leagues in that situation. But they scored twice with the bases loaded in the four-run fourth. The method of scoring will not make SportsCenter's higlights. Yan Gomes was hit by a pitch to score one run and Abraham Almont walked to score the other. Thanks for coming The Indians and Tigers drew 26,378 fans to Comerica Park on Friday night. What happens next? RHP Danny Salazar (12-7, 3.27) will face Detroit RHP Alfredo Simon (11-9, 5.09) Saturday at 7:08 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM and WMMS will carry the game. Salazar is coming off a 10-strikeout victory over Toronto and left-hander David Price. He allowed two earned runs on six hits in seven innings. He's 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA in three starts against the Tigers this season. Simon is 3-0 against the Tribe this season, alloing four runs in 19 innings. Overall, he's lost his last two starts and three of his last four. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.05.2015 Corey Kluber out at least 10 days with hamstring injury: Cleveland Indians notes Paul Hoynes, on September 04, 2015 at 8:00 PM, updated September 04, 2015 at 8:03 PM DETROIT – The season is taking a toll on the Indians starting rotation. As one pitcher gets close to returning to health another falls by the wayside. The Indians scratched Corey Kluber from Friday's start against Detroit with a strained right hamstring. Manager Terry Francona said Kluber will be sidelined for at least 10 days. Carlos Carrasco, meanwhile, is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday. If all goes well, he could start Tuesday night against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Carrasco has been on the disabled list with a sore right shoulder since Aug. 22. Kluber, last year's AL Cy Young winner, is 8-13 and leads the AL with 200 1/3 innings pitched. He ranks third in strikeouts with 219. "He was throwing inside the other day (in Toronto) and felt his hammy a little bit," said Francona. "He disregarded it and then he went and conditioned and that probably exacerbated it. But I still think he thought he was going to pitch." The Indians trainers, however, suggested Kluber go back to Cleveland and get examined. "It's a good thing we did," said Francona. "He's going to be down a minimum of 10 days. Instead of putting a timetable on it, let's just say when he's ready, we'll pitch him." Indians pitchers throw the football around on a daily basis in the outfield. They run pass patterns and take turns playing quarterback. Francona was asked if Kluber could have injured his hamstring doing that. "The only time they ever do that is with Joe (Kessler, strength and conditioning coach) out there," said Francona. "We want the guys to enjoy their conditioning. But to your point, we don't ever want something to happen when it shouldn't. "So Joe is always there when they're throwing the football around. No, he felt it first when he was throwing in the bullpen." Francona reshuffled the rotation going with Josh Tomlin on Friday, Danny Salazar on Saturday and Cody Anderson on Sunday. Regarding Carrasco, Francona said his bullpen session Saturday would have to be impressive for him to start Tuesday because pitchers who have been inactivate as long as Carrasco usually need a couple of bullpen sessions to regain their sharpness. "Arm wise he's doing fine," said Francona. New guys: The Indians officially added utility man Michael Martinez and left-hander Giovanni Soto to the roster on the 40-man roster. Left- hander TJ House was moved to the 60 day disabled list and outfielder Carlos Moncrief was designated for assignment to make room. Martinez, 32, has played 188 games in the big leagues with just a .181 batting average. He hit .289 (105-for-363) with 25 doubles, five doubles, five triples and 42 RBI in 102 games at Class AAA Columbus this year. "We signed Michael as a six-year minor league free agent and he impressed everybody in spring training," said Francona. "He went to Triple-A and by all accounts was the best teammate in the organization. "So we thought about calling him up as a reward. Then when we thought about it more, it made sense because if we feel he can be a utility guy on our team next year we should watch him do that for a month." Francona said Martinez plays seven positions. The Indians acquired Soto, 24, from the Tigers in 2010 for shortstop Jhonny Peralta. While Peralta has played in three All-Star Games, the World Series and 43 postseason games since the deal, Soto is just getting to the big leagues. Soto went 2-1 with two saves and a .268 ERA in 46 games at Columbus this year. He struck out 51, walked 29 and allowed 35 hits in 53 2/3 innings. "We wanted to get another lefty (reliever) and Giovanni has had a really good year," said Francona. "This is a kid who three years ago was high on the radar and then didn't do really well. "It seems like this year he started to understand some of the things he needs to do to pitch well." Finally: The Indians named first baseman Bobby Bradley (Class A Lake County) and right-hander Michael Peoples (Class A Lynchburg) as their minor league players of the month for August. Bradley, 19, hit .337 (35-for-104) with six doubles, one triple, 11 homers and 38 RBI in 29 games in August. He walked 18 times, scored 21 runs and posted a 1.163 OPS (.432 on base percentage+.731 slugging percentage). Overall Bradley is hitting .271 and leads the Midwest League in homers and RBI (92). Peoples, 23, went 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA in five games, including three starts, at Lynchburg. He struck out 26, walked nine and allowed 25 hits in 31 innings. The Indians drafted Peoples in the 14th round out of Western Oklahoma State in 2012. Bradley was a third round pick in in 2014. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.05.2015 Bobby Bradley named Midwest League Player of Month: Cleveland Indians Class A Report Tim Warsinskey CLEVELAND, Ohio – first baseman Bobby Bradley was named Midwest Player of the Month on Friday. He is the first Captain to receive the award this season. Bradley batted .337 in 29 games in August. He hit 11 home runs, six doubles, one triple and had 18 walks and 37 strikeouts. He also scored 21 runs and drove in 38. His on-base percentage was .432. Bradley, 19, was a third-round draft pick last year out of Harrison Central High in Gulfport, Miss. Overall in 2015, he is batting .271 with 27 homers and 92 RBI in 107 games. He needs one more homer to tie Ryan Goleski for the franchise record. Last season, Bradley won the Arizona League Triple Crown and earned league MVP honors. He was snubbed by the Midwest League for all- star honors this year. Up Hill: Right-handed reliever Cameron Hill has a 1.65 ERA in two pro seasons after being a 17th-round pick last year. Hill was a starter last year at Mahoning Valley (1-2, 1.76 ERA in 56 innings). Pitching in relief this season, he is 5-4 with nine saves and a 1.55 ERA in 58 innings. He leads Lake County relievers with 69 strikeouts, and has allowed 20 walks and 35 hits (one home run). Breakout: Right-handed reliever Justin Garcia is having a breakout season. A 38th-round draft pick two years ago, Garcia is 3-0 with a 1.79 ERA (10 earned runs in 50 1/3 innings). Eliminated: The Captains were eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday. Last year's Midwest League runners-up were 33-32 in the second half through Thursday (69-64 overall). Last stand: Lake County returns from its longest road trip of the season Saturday and plays its final three games of the season through Monday at Classic Park in Eastlake. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.05.2015 Clint Frazier leads Lynchburg to playoffs: Cleveland Indians advanced Class A Report Tim Warsinskey, CLEVELAND, Ohio – There is one group of Cleveland Indians starting to believe the playoffs are to be expected every year. It's a good way to begin a career for the likes of Clint Frazier, Mike Papi, and Luis Lugo. The Indians' advanced Class A affiliate Lynchburg Hillcats have clinched a Carolina League playoff berth with many of the same players who last year reached the Midwest League championship series at Class A Lake County. Among the players who have played key roles for Lynchburg this year and Lake County's run last year are outfielders Frazier, Papi and Dorssys Paulino; catcher Eric Haase; second baseman Claudio Bautista; shortstops Ivan Castillo and Paul Hendrix, and pitchers Robbie Aviles, Justin Brantley, Mitch Brown, Trevor Frank, Dace Kime and Lugo. Another common factor is manager Mark Budzinski. His minor-league managerial debut was last season in Lake County. He has guided Lynchburg to the Carolina League's Northern Division, second-half championship. The Hillcats were 37-29 through Thursday, though they had lost four straight. They play Wilmington in a best-of-three playoff series beginning Wednesday. Wilmington won the Northern Division first half championship, but is 22-42 in the second half. Frazier is a spark: Frazier has been a catalyst in the second half, batting .311. He hit .243 in the first half. His first-half and second-half power numbers are nearly identical (17 doubles, 35 RBI in each; seven homers in first half; eight in second half). His eye and discipline have improved, however. In addition to hitting 63 points higher in the second half, Frazier's cut down his strikeouts (72 to 51) and increased his walks (27 to 38). His percentages also improved in the second half: .344 to .409 on-base, .395 to .509 slugging, and .730 to .918 OPS. Frazier, who turns 21 Sunday, was named a Carolina League All-Star last week. Frazier was the fifth overall pick of the 2013 draft out of Loganville (Ga.) High School. Celebrate: Lynchburg players had a locker room celebration upon clinching Tuesday. The Hillcats lost the game, and had to wait to hear Frederick had lost and was eliminated before dousing Budzinski with a bucket of ice water and spraying the locker room with champagne. WSET.com – ABC13 Strong staff: The Hillcats also have had some outstanding pitching performances this season. Michael Peoples (11-3, 3.42 ERA) tied for the league lead in victories with D.J. Brown (11-3, .395), who was promoted to Akron. Left-handed reliever David Speer extended his streak of not allowing an earned run to 17 appearances and 22 2/3 innings, dating back to before he was promoted from Lake County. On the season, Speer has a 1.64 ERA in 42 appearances with 62 strikeouts and just two walks in in 65 innings. Since Ben Heller was promoted to Akron, Grant Sides has taken over as closer. He has six saves in seven chances over his last 15 appearances, and allowed one earned run in 19 1/3 innings. He allowed 12 hits and six walks and struck out 24 in that span. Sides, a 6-4 right hander, was drafted in 2011 out of Samford. Papi pops off: Papi had gone 156 at-bats without a home run, but hit two in two games Wednesday and Thursday. He was 6-for-11 with two homers and a double in a three-game series against Salem, which swept Lynchburg. Papi is hitting .240 with four homers, but is tied with Frazier for the league lead in doubles with 34. Nellie MVP: Nellie Rodriguez, who was promoted to Class AA Akron last month, was named Carolina League Most Valuable Player. Despite being gone for two weeks, he still leads the league in home runs (17), RBIs (84), extra-base hits (51) and slugging percentage (.495) . The last five Lynchburg MVPs (with different organizations) all made it to the Major Leagues: Brad Eldred, Jose Guillen, Aramis Ramirez and Chris Shelton. Help arrives: Center fielder Greg Allen was promoted Friday from Lake County, where he hit .273 with 83 runs and 43 stolen bases. On Monday, Lynchburg received infielder Yonathan Mendoza from Lake County and the Hillcats sent Yhoxian Medina to Class AA Akron. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.05.2015 Mike Clevinger signs off with big win for RubberDucks: Cleveland Indians Class AA Report Elton Alexander, on September 04, 2015 at 1:54 PM, updated September 04, 2015 at 3:31 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The pitching for the Akron RubberDucks shined through to the end as Mike Clevinger got his ninth victory of the season and climbed to No. 1 in the Eastern League strikeout charts in his last start, and the final regular-season game at Canal Park. Clevinger finished the season 9-8 with a 2.73 ERA and held the opposition to a .219 batting average at the plate. The 6-4, 220-pound right-hander can consider this a breakout season, considering he had a 9.53 ERA in 2013 and a 4.41 ERA in 2014. The fourth round draft pick (2011, Los Angeles Angels) could have had more wins had he gotten a little support down the stretch. Clevinger won only two of his last six starts despite a four-game streak where he allowed only five total runs, while working five or more innings in each. The Ducks still have an outside shot at making the Eastern League playoffs, where their pitching would make them a serious threat to win it all. Akron is currently tied for third in the West Division, two games back of second place Altoona, with four games left in the season at Harrisburg. The top two teams in each division advance to the playoffs. Nellie, yes and no: Yes, Nelson Rodriguez can knock the ball out of the park, but no he is not putting a lot of balls in play. The big (6-2, 225) first baseman has played in 21 games since being called up from Class A Lynchburg and is hitting just .130. In his last 10 games he is 5-for-38. He does have four homers at Akron and 25 overall. But he also has 32 strikeouts for the RubberDucks and 186 on the season. Still, because of his size, power and age (21), the 15th-round draftee (2012, Cleveland) must be considered a prospect, and likely a prospect to watch next season in Akron. Up, down, up: A year ago Carlos Moncrief, 26, seemed on the cusp of making the big league club. This season, a slow start at the plate in Columbus, hitting .187, led to being dropped down to Akron at mid-season. On Friday, the Indians designated Moncrief for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Giovanny Soto and Michael Martinez, who were promoted to Cleveland from Class AAA Columbus. Moncrief had been on a hot streak, hitting .351 over his last 10 games with just one strikeout. Moncrief had a hit in nine of those 10 games as the RubberDucks battle for an Eastern League playoff spot. His average at Akron is to .261 in 56 games. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.05.2015 Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber scratched from Friday's start against Detroit Paul Hoynes, on September 04, 2015 at 11:59 AM, updated September 04, 2015 at 12:01 PM DETROIT --The Indians dicey hopes of winning a wild-card spot have taken a big hit with the news that ace right-hander Corey Kluber has been scratched from Friday night's start against the Tigers because of a strained right hamstring. Kluber will miss at least a week and it's not known if he'll pitch again this year. He suffered the injury running in the outfield during the Tribe's three-game series in Toronto. The right-hander did not accompany the team to Detroit after the Toronto series, but traveled to Cleveland to undergo tests and treatment. Josh Tomlin, Saturday's scheduled starter, will face the Tigers on Friday night. Danny Salazar, Sunday's scheduled starter, will start Saturday night. The Indians have not announced a Sunday starter. Kluber, last year's Cy Young winner, is 8-13 with a 3.41 ERA in 28 starts. Kluber leads AL pitchers with 200 1/3 innings pitched. He's ranks third in strikeouts with 219. In his last two starts, Kluber has allowed three runs in 13 2/3 innings in no decisions against the Cubs and Angels. He struck out 17, walked three and allowed three earned runs in those starts. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.05.2015 infielder Audy Ciriaco named IL player of the week: Cleveland Indians AAA Report Branson Wright, CLEVELAND, Ohio - Columbus Clippers utility infielder Audy Ciriaco has been more than your average reserve player in recent weeks. Ciriaco, once a top 25 prospect with the Detroit Tigers, caught fire and was named the offensive player of the week. Ciriaco had a week where he hit .393 with a league-best three home runs, 10 RBI and a .750 slugging percentage. Despite a stretch of playing multiple positions (first base, second base and third base), Ciriaco had four multi-hit games for the week, including three or more RBI in three games. Ciriaco topped of the week with a grand slam against Toledo. Ciriaco entered the week with a .229 average and three home runs in 63 games. His averaged jumped to .249 seven games later. Ciriaco won the honor for the first time in 11 minor league seasons. This is his second year with the Tribe organization. Aguilar honored: Although he has the best fielding percentage among International League first baseman (one error in 94 games), Jesus Aguilar was named the designated hitter on the International League postseason all-star team. He is currently hitting .265 with 18 home runs and 87 RBI, second in the league. He is the first Clipper named to the postseason all-star team since 2003. ... Buffalo's 30-year-old third baseman Matt Hague was named the league MVP. ... Aguilar was also named the first baseman on the IL Best Tools team, as selected by league managers. High and inside: Michael Martinez has appeared in only 52 of 79 games and currently ranks 11th in the IL in batting (.289) after ranking last on May 14 (.154), 34 games into the season. ... Clipper relievers have posted an 8.74 ERA over the last three games and a 4.93 ERA dating to Aug. 8. Over the last 24 games, they have allowed no runs in a game just nine times, while allowing at least three earned runs eight times. In addition, they have four blown saves in the last 14 games, including two in starts. Updates: Reliever Shawn Armstrong was recalled by the Indians on Tuesday. ... LHP Giovanni Soto and Martinez were promoted on Friday. Soto is 2-1 with 2 saves and a 2.68 ERA in 46 games (53.2IP, 35H, 16ER, 29BB, 51K, .187avg, 1HR). Playoff bound: The Clippers have playoff tickets on sale now, although they still don't know opponent/date/time. ... The Clippers are in Louisville on Friday and Saturday, then close out the regular season at home against Toledo on Sunday and Monday. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.05.2015

Indians scratch ace Corey Kluber from start By The Associated Press DETROIT (AP) -- The Indians have scratched ace Corey Kluber from his scheduled start against the Tigers because of a strained right hamstring.

Terry Francona said that Kluber, last season's AL Cy Young winner, is expected to miss at least two starts.

''We'll pitch him again when's ready,'' Francona said.

His absence will make it even tougher for Cleveland to gain ground in the wild-card race.

Kluber last pitched on Aug. 29 at home, pitching six innings with no health problems, but injured himself during a bullpen session in Toronto.

Josh Tomlin will replace Kluber and start the series opener at Comerica Park. Danny Salazar will pitch Saturday, and Cory Anderson is scheduled to start the series finale on Sunday.

Kluber is 8-13 with a 3.41 ERA, but the right-hander has pitched much better than his record shows as Cleveland's offense hasn't given him much run support. He leads the league with 200 1/3 innings and is third with 219 strikeouts.

Kluber's replacement could be Carlos Carrasco, who is recovering from a shoulder injury. Francona said that if he gets through a bullpen session on Saturday, he could start as soon as Tuesday in Chicago.

Cleveland Indians 8, Detroit Tigers 1: Jerry Sands helps Tribe tame Tigers

By Dave Hogg , Associated Press DETROIT — Normally, Jerry Sands is just another light-hitting utilityman who spends a lot of time riding buses in Triple-A.

Something changes when he plays the Detroit Tigers, though.

Sands homered, tripled and scored twice as his Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 8-1, on Friday night. He’s hitting .463 against the Tigers this season, with four extra-base hits in 13 at-bats, and just .198 against the rest of the major leagues.

“I don’t do anything differently against them than anyone else,” he said. “It is just one of those things that you can’t explain.”

Sands’ day could have been even better. After his two-run homer in the third inning and his triple to lead off the fifth, he came up for the second time in that inning with the bases loaded and two out.

He hit a high hopper down the first line that almost cleared Miguel Cabrera’s glove for what would have been a bases-clearing double.

“You are never trying to hit for the cycle, but when you have a triple and a homer in your first two at-bats, you obviously think about it,” Sands said. “If that had gotten over Miggy’s head, well, I don’t even know how you would try to hit a single, but yeah, I would have known.”

Josh Tomlin pitched his third career complete game for the Indians, who have won 10 of 14 as they try to stay in the American League wild- card race.

“That was just fun to watch,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “Jerry was getting us the big hits, and Josh was just sending them right back to the dugout. He had all his stuff, and he was just pounding the strike zone.”

Tomlin (4-1) was moved up a day after scheduled starter Corey Kluber couldn’t overcome a hamstring strain sustained in a bullpen session earlier in the week. He allowed one run and a walk while striking out six. It was his third complete game, with the last one coming June 28, 2014 in Seattle.

Tomlin was only making his fifth start of the season after spring shoulder surgery. “We’ve known all year that we had a chance to get some serious help down the stretch from Josh,” Francona said. “We wanted to be as patient as possible, because we knew if we let him get ready, he could do this for us.”

Detroit has lost seven of eight and been outscored, 71-21, in that stretch as Ausmus tries to piece together a pitching staff. That got significantly tougher after the trades of David Price and Joakim Soria and injuries to Anibal Sanchez and Daniel Norris.

“We traded David Price and he’s a horse who generally goes deep into games and saves your bullpen,” Ausmus said. “Sanchie goes down, and he was one of the guys we were counting on, and we’re basically replacing those guys with rookies, and then Norris goes down, and he was the top guy in the Price trade. It has all kind of snowballed.”

Kyle Lobstein (3-6), who had been sidelined since May 23 with a shoulder injury, allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.

“Well, we got the first one out of the way,” Lobstein said. “There were some good things that happened today, but I just fell behind too many hitters and gave them good pitches to hit.”

Trainer’s room

Indians: Francona expects Kluber to miss at least 10 days. If RHP Carlos Carrasco (shoulder) gets though a Saturday bullpen with no setbacks, he will replace Kluber in the rotation.

Tigers: SS Jose Iglesias will be out for at least two weeks after being hit on the middle finger of his right hand while trying to bunt Thursday night in Kansas City. Initial x-rays were negative, but a follow-up CT scan on Friday showed the fracture. Detroit recalled SS Dixon Machado from Triple-A Toledo to fill in.

Up next

The teams play the second of their three-game weekend series Saturday night, with Danny Salazar (12-7, 3.27) facing Alfredo Simon (11-9, 5.09). Despite his winning record, Simon is tied for the major-league lead for most starts allowing six or more earned runs (6, tied with Jeff Samardzjia) and most allowing six more runs (7, tied with three others).

Baseball | Clippers win, move back into first-place tie By Jim MassieThe Columbus Dispatch • Saturday September 5, 2015 4:43 AM

Jesus Aguilar matched his career high with six RBI to power the Clippers past the Louisville Bats 6-2 on the road Friday night at Slugger Field.

The victory allowed the Clippers to move back into a first-place tie with the Indianapolis Indians in the International League West with three games remaining in the regular season. The Indians lost to the 3-2.

Aguilar began his assault with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. He added a two-run double in the third and a two-run single in the fifth before capping his evening with a leadoff home run in the eighth. He leads the International League with 93 RBI.

Ryan Merritt (2-0) limited the Bats to five hits and two runs in six innings to earn the win. Trey Haley, Dustin Molleken and Tyler Sturdevant combined to pitch three shutout innings to close out the game.

The top of the Clippers batting order did all of the damage to Brandon Finnegan (0-3) and the Bats bullpen.

Tyler Holt led off the game with a single and went to third on an Erik Gonzalez double. Aguilar drove in Holt with a sacrifice fly. Holt also walked twice and scored two more runs. Gonzalez also had a walk and scored two runs.

The two teams play at 6:05 tonight. Jarrett Grube (8-0) will start for the Clippers.

Tigers bats lifeless in loss to Indians Tony Paul, The Detroit News 11:44 p.m. EDT September 4, 2015 Detroit — The Tigers and Indians hadn't played in quite some time. They hadn't played since the middle of June, in fact. A lot has happened since then — more specifically, a lot of bad thing for the Tigers. "The last time we saw them, they were not only beating our (butts)," Indians manager Terry Francona was saying before the game, "they were having their way with the rest of the league." Now, the Indians are ahead of the Tigers in the American League Central standings. "Who would've thought?" Francona said. Blossoming Tigers killer Jerry Sands had a homer and a triple off plenty-rusty Kyle Lobstein in Lobstein's return to the rotation, and the Tigers bats were as lifeless as the sparse crowd in a 8-1 loss at Comerica Park on Friday night. The loss was the 12th in 14 games for the Tigers, which knew they had their hands full after declaring themselves sellers — and, thus, selling — at the trade deadline. But nobody could've seen it being this bad. "Not at all," Lobstein said, carefully enunciating each word. The loss dropped the Tigers to 61-73, meaning they'll have to win 12 of their final 28 to avoid the franchise's first 90-loss season since 2005, the year before the renaissance of a ballclub that, since then, has made two World Series and won four division championships. Still easy as pie, right? Not so fast. The Tigers have won just 10 of their last 28. Lobstein (3-6), making his first start since suffering a shoulder injury in May, had a nifty, 1-2-3 first inning, and a pretty-clean second inning, but things went south in a hurry after that. After Abraham Almonte walked to start the third, Sands, the journeyman slugger who'd be a perennial MVP candidate if every opposing pitcher was left-handed, teed off on a long homer to left. His next time up, in the fifth, Sands tripled leading off, sparking a four-run rally and bringing an end to Lobstein's night. "Lobstein," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said, "more than anything didn't have his command." Lobstein agreed, completely. "I fell behind too many hitters," he said. "And gave them too many good pitches to hit." Especially Sands. In 13 at-bats against the Tigers this season, Sands has six hits and six RBIs. In 79 at-bats against everybody else, Sands has 14 hits and eight RBIs. Giovanny Urshela added an RBI single and Michael Brantley an RBI double in the Indians' fifth-inning uprising, which picked right up against Drew VerHagen, who plunked the first batter he faced, Yan Gomes, to bring in another run. He walked in another run, troubling, to be sure, for a prospect who seemed to finally be taking a liking to his new role as a reliever. In the seventh, Lonnie Chisenhall tagged Jeff Ferrell for a pinch-hit, two-run double. It took Jose Valdez, another fresh relief callup, to put out the flames in the eighth and ninth innings, finishing the ninth with the first strikeout of his career. Long before that, of course, the game was as gone as the attention span of the 26,378, bored-as-could-be fans. In fact, the only play that drew a rousing roar was a spectacular diving grab by just-called-up shortstop Dixon Machado — replacing Jose Iglesias, who's out at least two weeks with a fracture in his right middle finger — in the sixth inning. Machado then doubled for his first career extra-base hit leading off the bottom of the sixth inning and eventually scored on a Miguel Cabrera single. "It gives you confidence," said Machado, who is likely to see most of the starts at short in Iglesias' absence, with Andrew Romine spelling him. "It feels great to be here." But other than the run he scored, the Tigers did practically nothing against Indians starter Josh Tomlin (4-1), who looked like Corey Kluber on a night Kluber was scratched with a still-bothersome hamstring. Tomlin, the right-hander, got quick outs and easy outs and picked up the third complete game of his six-year career. Early in the game, Tomlin retired 11 in a row; late in the game, he retired nine in a row. Hard to believe, really, this Tigers team had won nine of the previous 12 meetings with the Indians. Of course, it had been awhile. "The names," Francona said of the Tigers, "still look the same to me." The heart? Well, that's tougher to see through the jerseys. Detroit News LOADED: 09.05.2015 Francona can relate to Ausmus' plight Tony Paul, The Detroit News 9:27 p.m. EDT September 4, 2015 Detroit — Terry Francona is in his 15th season as a big league manager, having worked for three different teams. He knows all about "the heat." So what advice might he have for a younger manager who's believed to be on the hot seat, like, say, second-year Tigers manager Brad Ausmus? "When you get in this job, people are gonna write stuff. That's part of it," Francona said Friday afternoon, before his Cleveland Indians began a three-game set against the Tigers at Comerica Park. "When you start thinking about yourself, you're getting away from the things that matter. "I think you just need to be confident in yourself." Francona has been fired once, technically, from his first managerial job with the Philadelphia Phillies. He parted ways with the Boston Red Sox after the 2011 season. Some call it a firing, some call it a mutual split; winning two World Series in Boston certainly eased the sting of losing that job. For Ausmus, who had next to no managerial experience before the Tigers hired him two winters ago, the "hot seat" is new. He guided Detroit to a fourth consecutive American League Central championship last year, but the Tigers got swept in three games by the Baltimore Orioles. This season has been a disaster for Detroit, which fired its general manager, Dave Dombrowski, last month after 14 years on the job. New GM Al Avila has said he will evaluate Ausmus and the coaching staff after this season; he made no guarantees about 2016, even though Ausmus signed a three-year deal when he was hired. On Friday, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported what many have suspected — that Ausmus' job is, indeed, in jeopardy, with the $170-million- payroll Tigers possibly headed toward their first last-place finish since 2008 after a disastrous and embarrassing trip through Toronto and Kansas City. Other teams, however, might look more fondly toward Ausmus, who certainly had no control over significant injuries to Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Justin Verlander. A rival GM told Heyman that if fired, Ausmus would be unemployed for all of "about eight minutes." Machado gets short shift Dixon Machado, one of three Tigers callups before Friday's game, will play almost exclusively shortstop in September with Detroit. That's despite getting brief looks at second base and third base at Triple-A Toledo. With the status of Jose Iglesias (right middle finger) still murky, Machado and Andrew Romine will split the reps at short. Machado got first crack Friday, batting ninth against emergency Indians starter Josh Tomlin. After splitting 2014 between Single-A Lakeland and Double-A Erie and spending all of 2015 at Triple-A Toledo, Machado acknowledges his playing time in September could serve as an audition to make the team next year. "I hope so, yes," said Machado, who originally was going to get promoted after Toledo's season concludes Monday night in Columbus. "Those are the steps that you gotta pass through." Machado, who hit .261 with 22 doubles and 15 stolen bases at Toledo this year, said he enjoyed playing other positions. He knows that makes him valuable in the majors. Just ask Romine. Iglesias update The official word on Iglesias' injury: It's a non-displaced, small-chip fracture in the right middle finger, after he was hit by a ball while trying to bunt Thursday. The news comes after a CT scan Friday, and the Tigers say he will be sidelined two weeks before being reevaluated. Earlier in the day, Iglesias wouldn't even venture a guess at a return date. Iglesias did tell reporters he was in more pain Friday than Thursday, the swelling remains, and that he hasn't even tried to grab a bat. His sense of humor was 100 percent, though. Asked if the injury means he can't flip media members the bird, he smiled. "I will not," he said. Around the horn Indians ace Corey Kluber was scratched from his start Friday with a strained hamstring. Francona expects him to miss at least 10 days. Danny Salazar will pitch Saturday, and Cody Anderson on Sunday. ... The Indians called up lefty reliever Giovanni Soto, whom you might recall was acquired from the Tigers in 2010 for Jhonny Peralta. In his seventh minor league season, this is his first trip to the majors, after he posted a 2.68 ERA in 46 games at Columbus this season. "He started to understand some of the things that were missing to pitch like he has," Francona said. ... Injured Tigers starters Anibal Sanchez and Daniel Norris continued their throwing program Friday, and their returns could be sooner than later. ... There were lots of smiles and hugs from players and media members in the clubhouse before Friday's game, after well-liked PR man Chad Crunk revealed that, after a trying year, he now is cancer-free. Indians at Tigers First pitch: 7:08 Saturday, Comerica Park, Detroit TV/radio: FSD/97.1 Scouting report RHP Danny Salazar (12-7, 3.27), Indians: Coming off an impressive start against the hottest team in baseball, the Blue Jays; Salazar struck out 10 in the victory. RHP Alfredo Simon (11-9, 5.09), Tigers: He's beaten the Indians three times this year, but all before late June, at which point, his downward spiral began. Detroit News LOADED: 09.05.2015