LDN - Sports

Indians clinch AL Central with win over Tigers

[September 27, 2016] DETROIT -- It was just as sweet as Terry Francona hoped.

"This is as close to family in a professional setting as you can get," Francona said Monday night after his Cleveland Indians downed the Detroit Tigers 7-4 to win their eighth American League Central title but first since 2007. "I don't think I've ever tried to hide that fact. It's why I came here. It feels good."

Coco Crisp hit a two-run home run, Roberto Perez added a solo shot plus an RBI single, and Cleveland's bullpen pieced together five workable relief innings to assure the Indians (91-65) of a postseason berth and reduce second-place Detroit to grubbing for a wild-card spot.

The Tigers (83-73) are two games back of the idle Baltimore Orioles, who hold the second AL wild-card position.

"I don't like it. I don't like it," Tigers' manager Brad Ausmus said of the Indians clinching at Comerica Park. "But it doesn't change anything. We still have a goal, and that's to get to the postseason.

"I love when people want to talk about odds. 'We gotta be perfect.' Let's see what happens.

"We're going to play the games. These guys are trained to win. They are trained to forget about yesterday. Regardless of what people think the odds are. We're going to come here and try to win Tuesday. We don't really give a (darn) what the odds are."

Cleveland is now eight games ahead of Detroit in the standings, and all the Tigers have to do to find a reason is look at the head-to-head results. The Indians are 14-2 against the Tigers.

"I don't remember ever going through something like this," Ausmus said. "I can't tell you why. I don't know if it's matchups, if it's luck, if it's happenstance. I couldn't tell you.

"If we play the same amount of games next year, I'd be surprised if it was anything like it was this year. I can't explain it. But the truth is, they've outplayed us, they've outhit us, they've outpitched us and they out-defended us. Simple."

Francona changed out of his champagne-soaked shirt to meet the media, and Comerica Park's cramped clubhouse was permeated with the smell of the bubbly, which in some places was an inch deep on the plastic-coated floor.

"I want them to blow it out," Francona said. "It's so hard to get to do one of these things that they deserve every minute of it. And I want them to celebrate. They should be so proud of what they did. And we're proud of them.

"It's hard, man. There's a lot that goes into even winning a division. Certainly the season's not all over, but they deserve every minute of joy they have in there.

"Winning is so hard to explain. I know I'm supposed to. I actually wish we had all our guys. Hugging (Michael) Brantley and Gomer (Yan Gomes) and those (injured) guys, They're so much a part of what we're doing, even hurt. We've had some challenges thrown at us, but so has everybody else, too.

"We've managed to get this far, and now we get to play more baseball, which I think will have everybody, once they get through whatever they're doing, regroup and know we get to play more, which is very exciting."

There is some concern in Cleveland over starter Cory Kluber, who lost his chance at a victory when Francona took him out after the fourth because he was working with a right groin strain. The Indians have already lost two quality starters, Danny Salazar to an arm strain and Carlos Carrasco to a broken bone in his pitching hand.

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Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (24) pitches the ball during the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The Indians won 7-4 to clinch the AL Central Division title. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

"He's OK," Francona said of Kluber. "He felt (the groin ailment) in the third inning, and then he got through the fourth and I grabbed him when we went downstairs because I thought it was getting a little bit worse.

"It didn't really look like it when he was pitching, but I told him, ... 'We're not going to go far without you.' So we need to let him get healthy so he can do what he does."

Perez's RBI single in the eighth boosted Cleveland's lead to 6-4 and an add-on run scored on when J.D. Martinez dropped Carlos Santana's fly ball near the right field line for an error.

Miguel Cabrera's second RBI single of the game, off Andrew Miller, brought Detroit within 5-4 in the seventh, but Miller struck out the next two and two batters in the eighth to earn the win. He is 10-1, 4-0 with Cleveland.

Perez hit his third home run of the season leading off the seventh against Justin Wilson for a 5-3 Indians lead. Jason Kipnis had an RBI double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Mike Napoli in the fifth.

Kluber threw 60 pitches in his four innings and left with Cleveland on top 4-2. He allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Dan Otero (four outs) and Bryan Shaw (three) each allowed a run. Cody Allen picked up his 30th save by pitching a perfect ninth.

Buck Farmer (0-1) pitched the first five innings for Detroit, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks while fanning two.

NOTES: RHP Danny Salazar is moving cautiously toward a return to Cleveland's pitching staff. He threw 20 pitches at 75 percent on Monday, and he will throw a few more times this week. "His health is the first priority. He's not rushing into anything," manager Terry Francona said. "This is not a speed-up program. This is a back-to-throw program, this is the program that guys are supposed to do." ... Tigers LHP Kyle Ryan, who had been out of action since Sept. 15 with a back/rib problem, pitched a scoreless inning of relief Monday night. ... 3B Nick Castellanos (left hand fracture) has an intrasquad game slated for Tuesday in the Florida instructional league, and if all goes well, he could return to the Tigers at mid-week.

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