Jose Ramirez hit two home runs and Carlos Carrasco tossed seven shutout innings to lift the Cleveland Indians to a 7-4 win over the Detroit Tigers in the finale of a four-game series in Detroit on Sunday.
Cleveland (29-24) won three of the four games and solidified its spot atop the American League Wild Card standings entering the final week of the regular season.
The Indians broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth, plating three runs.
The first run came on an RBI single to left by Jordan Luplow, then Delino DeShields added a two-out, two-run single to make it 3-0.
Cleveland chased Detroit starter Matthew Boyd in the sixth when Ramirez lined a two-run home run to left for a 5-0 lead.
In the seventh, after the Tigers failed to turn what would have been an inning-ending double play, Ramirez blasted his second home run -- this time to left-center.
That was more than enough support for Carrasco, who was brilliant while throwing a season-high 109 pitches.
Carrasco (3-4) struck out 11, allowed just one hit and walked three in seven innings of work.
The Tigers (22-30) broke through against Cleveland reliever Cameron Hill in the eighth. Willi Castro lined an RBI single and Miguel Cabrera blasted a two-run home run, his seventh this season, to right.
The Tigers added another run in the ninth off of Cleveland closer Brad Hand on an RBI double by Niko Goodrum.
Ramirez, now with 15 homers, feasted on Tigers pitching the entire series, finishing with four home runs, 10 RBI and nine hits over the four games.
Boyd (2-7) took the loss for the Tigers, giving up five runs on five hits in five innings of work.
--Field Level Media
Cleveland | Detroit | |
Carlos Carrasco | Player | Matthew Boyd |
Win | W/L | Loss |
7.0 | IP | 5.0 |
11 | Strikeouts | 3 |
1 | Hits | 5 |
0.00 | ERA | 9.00 |
Cleveland | Detroit | |
Jose Ramirez | Player | Niko Goodrum |
2 | Hits | 1 |
4 | RBI | 1 |
2 | HR | 0 |
8 | TB | 2 |
.500 | Avg | .333 |