Summary:

The Indians have lost seven straight to the Tigers, including consecutive three-game sweeps in August and September to take them out of the running in the AL Central. Detroit has outscored the Tribe, 78-59. The Tigers clinched the AL Central on Sept. 16. They've won 27 of their last 36 games. Victor Martinez is hitting .311 (14-for-45) with three homers and 15 RBI against the Tribe this year. Fister (2-1), Scherzer (2-0) and Porcello (1-1) have seen plenty of the Tribe this year.

Pitching Matchups:

RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3, 4.62) vs. RHP Doug Fister (10-13, 2.94) Tonight at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Jeanmar Gomez (5-2, 3.52) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (14-9, 4.37) Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Zach McAllister (0-1, 5.83) vs. RHP Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.76) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

Tigers News/Notes:

• 1B Miguel Cabrera precipitated a couple of skipped heartbeats when he experienced a few moments of dizziness while batting in the seventh inning. Cabrera, who hit his 29th home run of the season with a man on in the first, got a visit from manager Jim Leyland and head trainer Kevin Rand after taking three straight balls. He remained in the game and lined out to left on a 3-2 pitch. Leyland took him out of the game as a precaution.  Cabrera went 2-for-3 in the game and is challenging for the batting title with a .341 average.

• DH Victor Martinez joined 1B Miguel Cabrera with 100 RBI when he hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning. It gave him 101 RBI and he and Cabrera made it nine times since 1961 that Tiger teammates have breached 100 RBI. Cabrera has 103.

• RF/1B Don Kelly gave Detroit some breathing room with a three-run home run in the sixth. Kelly came in to play right for RF Magglio Ordonez in the top of the sixth, shifting to first in the seventh when 1B Miguel Cabrera was removed after going through a spell of dizziness at bat. Kelly has seven home runs this season, three this month.

• RHP Brad Penny is struggling to make a case to be included in Detroit's postseason rotation, if not the roster. Penny wiped runners off the bases in the first two innings with double plays, but in the fifth gave up an RBI double plus an RBI single to the eighth and ninth hitters in Baltimore's batting order, tying the score at 3. He was removed after giving up a one-out double in the sixth. Penny has not allowed less than three earned runs in consecutive starts since June 26-July 1.

• RHP Al Alburquerque showed manager Jim Leyland what he wanted to see, effective pitching in back-to-back games, to confirm his spot on Detroit's postseason roster providing he reports no unusual effects on Monday. Alburquerque, who worked a scoreless eighth Saturday, was brought in after RHP Brad Penny gave up a one-out double in the sixth. He got a groundout on a 3-2 pitch and a strikeout on a 2-2 slider. He had been battling a hip problem until pitching Thursday night.

• SS Jhonny Peralta hit his 20th home run of the season, a solo shot leading off the eighth. His two hits put him at .301 after he had recently dipped under that mark for one of the few periods this season. He now has 84 and is at the high side of the figures Detroit was hoping to get when it signed him to a two-year deal with an option during the winter.

• 3B Wilson Betemit, out of action since Sept. 16 with a left knee sprain, will return to action Monday night against the Tribe.  Betemit had essentially been a platoon partner with 3B Brandon Inge before getting hurt sliding into home plate. He's started against right-handed pitchers.

• 2B Carlos Guillen is looking less and less likely to be on manager Jim Leyland's roster for the divisional round of the AL playoffs.

Player of the Game

Shelley Duncan won his 2nd "Player of the Game" in 2 games with a score of 4.48. Duncan singled in the first inning and hit a 2-run home run in the third. Duncan now has 11 award on the year, tying him for 2nd best on the team. This is very impressive seeing that he spent part of the year in the minor leagues and was never really considered to be an everyday player.

Feathers Up

The Indians came out swinging in the first inning. They scored 2 runs on 4 hits, singles by Kosuke Fukudome, Travis Hafner, Shelley Duncan, and Lonnie Chisenhall.

Shelley Duncan continues to stay hot. Duncan homered on a line drive to left field, giving him 2 more RBI on the season. This was Duncan's 7th home run in the month of September.

Fausto Carmona concluded his 2011 season, pitching 6.1 innings. Carmona didn't exactly have his stuff today, but he kept his team in the game. Carmona gave up 4 runs on 7 hits, striking out 3.

The Indians paid tribute to Jim Thome by letting him play third base in the top of the 9th inning. Thome started his career as an Indian at third base in 1991. Thome only played third base today for one pitch as the fans gave him a standing ovation both when he entered the field and when he ran off the field.

Feathers Down

The Indians began their last home game of the season with a horrible play. Shelley Duncan came in too far on a fly ball, which then went over his head, allowing Denard Span to get a double. The was a routine fly ball that should have been caught. Span would later come around to score in the inning.

Tony Sipp was unable to keep the Twins from scoring in the top of the 10th inning. Sipp gave up a home run, a double, and a single, allowing Minnesota to score 2 runs and win the game.

Final Score: Minnesota Twins 6 - Cleveland Indians 4

Player of the Game

Game 1:

Jason Kipnis won the 'Player of the Game' in game one with 2 hits, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Kipnis walked to start off the 6 run 6th inning. Shelley Duncan also had a great game with 3 RBI on a double and a sac fly.

Game 2:

Shelley Duncan won the second 'Player of the Game' of the day with a score of 5.14 derived from his 3 RBI knocked in with a double and a single. He also scored a run Duncan's score of 9.37 was the highest total score for the day.

Feathers Up

The Indians swept the double header and will look to sweep the series with a win in tomorrow's game. Their current 4 game winning streak is the Tribe's best since May. In Game one Zach Putnam earned his first Major League win and in game two, Nick Hagadone matched him with his first Major League win.

The Tribe benefited from the big inning in both games as they scored 11 combined runs in the two 6 innings. Shelley Duncan was integral in much of the Indians scoring, knocking in 3 of those 11 runs in the 6th and 6 total runs over both games.

Feathers Down

Game 1:

Trevor Crowe hurt his shoulder on an attempted diving catch in the first inning of the first game and has been declared out for the season. Kosuke Fukudome was supposed to get the first game completely off, but was forced into action due to the injury. He did play well on short notice though with an RBI single that he ended up scoring on.

Game 2:

If Crowe's injury in game one wasn't enough, Asdrubal Cabrera was forced to leave the game early in game 2 after taking a pitch off his elbow. There has been no further news at this point as to how severe the injury is.

Final Scores

Game 1: Cleveland Indians 8 - Minnesota Twins 2

Game 2: Cleveland Indians 7 - Minnesota Twins 6

Player of the Game

Jim Thome won 'Player of the Game' on his night with a score of 5.86 powered by an opposite field double and a deep home run to center field. Thome also hit a single and knocked in three runs. Matt LaPorta also had a nice night with 3 hits, 2 RBI and a score of 3.70.

Feathers Up

Tonight was Jim Thome's night as the Indians celebrated his career with the team and announced plans for a statue of him in center field placed in approximately the same spot as his momentous 511 foot home run. This honor has been a long time coming as Jim Thome is the greatest power hitter in Indians history.

Tribe relievers improved in a stat they have been struggling with of late by stranded every runner that was left on base by a previous pitcher. Frank Herrmann left the bases loaded when he came in for Justin Masterson and both Rafael Perez and Joe Smith stranded their inherited runners. Chris Perez also pitching well, earning the win and pitching a clean inning where all three batters popped out in the infield.

Feathers Down

Justin Masterson didn't exactly finish the season strong, pitching in one of his least memorable starts this season. Masterson walked 6 and hit 2 batters giving him 8 extra base runners he shouldn't have had to deal with. Regardless of how his season ends, he has proved this year that he has become exactly what everyone involved with the Indians hoped he would turn in to and will be the ace going into 2012. Masterson is scheduled to start the last game of the season, but does not have to make that start due to the extra starting pitchers on the Indians roster.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 6 - Minnesota Twins 5

Pitching Matchups:

 RHP Carl Pavano (8-13, 4.40) vs. RHP Justin Masterson (12-10, 3.15) tonight at 7:05

LHP Scott Diamond (1-5, 4.81) vs. LHP David Huff (2-6, 4.20) Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

LHP Francisco Liriano (9-9, 4.77) vs. RHP Mitch Talbot (2-6, 6.33) Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Liam Hendriks (0-2, 6.23) vs. RHP Fausto Carmona (7-15, 5.23) Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Summary:

The Twins have lost 16 of their past 19 games. Danny Valencia is hitting .294 (10-for-34) with two homers and seven RBI against the Indians this year. Pavano is 1-1 against the Indians this year. At the end of the most recent trip, the Indians swept a three-game series from the Twins. They outscored them, 23-15. Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .327 (17-for-52) with three homers and 11 RBI against the Twins this year. Masterson is 1-0, with a 1.53 ERA, allowing five earned runs in 291/3 innings, against Minnesota this season.

Twins News/Notes:

• 1B Justin Morneau is suffering from his second debilitating concussion in the last 14 months, and his status for next season won't be known at least until February, when he reports to Fort Myers, Fla., for spring training.  Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, might not ever play first base again.

• Before Thursday's game against Seattle, manager Ron Gardenhire took a look at the lineup card that had just been spit out of his printer. "Well, that's not a good lineup card," he said, tearing up the card and throwing it into the trash bin next to his desk. "Even the computer is sick." Because of injuries (the Twins have used the disabled list 24 times this season and shut down three players for the rest of the season) Gardenhire is on his last stack of official Major League Baseball lineup cards. That's the first time it's ever happened, he said. "I can't even tell you how many I've had to change (the lineup card)," he said. "It's crazy. It's really crazy."

• C Joe Mauer, shut down for the season since being diagnosed with pneumonia, was resting at home Thursday, but team trainer Rick McWane said he might join the Twins for their last series of the season, Monday through Wednesday against the Royals at Target Field.

• OF Jason Kubel hasn't played since Sept. 16 because of a left foot sprain sustained on May 30 in Detroit. Still, he told manager Ron Gardenhire he wants to be available as a pinch hitter this weekend

• C Drew Butera snapped a 0-for-21 skid with his RBI single in the fifth Thursday. Before that hit, Twins' catchers, Butera, Rene Rivera and Joe Mauer, were a combined 0-for-27. Butera hadn't hit safely since Sept. 2 at Anaheim.

Twins Injuries:

• CF Denard Span (migraine symptoms) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Aug. 14. He missed two months earlier this season because of a concussion. He resumed baseball activities Sept. 3 and took batting practice Sept. 7. On Sept. 16, Span went through his third consecutive workout without experiencing any problems. He was activated Sept. 21 and played four innings as the Twins eased him back into action. He sat out Sept. 22 but expects to play tonight.

• OF Jason Repko (concussion symptoms) was hit in the helmet by a pitch Sept. 18, and he hasn't played since. There is a chance he won't return this season.

• DH/OF Jason Kubel (sore left foot) left the Sept. 16 game, and he didn't play Sept. 17-22. He might be able to return as a pinch hitter before the end of the season.

• C Joe Mauer (pneumonia) was diagnosed Sept. 16, and he requires at least two weeks of rest. He's out for the rest of the season.

• SS Tsuyoshi Nishioka (sore right oblique) did not play Sept. 6-8. He was back in the lineup Sept. 9, but he didn't play Sept. 10-14. He was shut down for the season on Sept. 16.

• 1B Justin Morneau (left knee surgery and right foot surgery in September 2011) did not play Aug. 29-Sept. 18 due to a mild concussion and left shoulder stiffness. On Sept. 19, he had season-ending surgeries to remove a cyst in his left knee and bone spurs from his right foot.

• 2B Alexi Casilla (strained right hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list July 28. He was activated Aug. 12 but then was placed back on DL Aug. 13 after aggravating the injury. He began a rehab assignment with Class A Fort Myers on Aug. 29, but he was re-injured in that game. He was running at Target Field in mid-September, and he hopes to be activated before the end of the season.

• RHP Nick Blackburn (right lateral forearm strain) went on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 22. An MRI revealed an entrapped nerve caused by inflammation. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Sept. 4, ending his season.

Player of the Game

Asdrubal Cabrera stole this 'Player of the Game' away from Kosuke Fukudome with an RBI single in the bottom of the 8th. Before this single, Cabrera hit another single and a 3 run home run. The home run was the final nail in the coffin for the White Sox. Fukudome had just about as good a night as he can, started off with a home run to lead off the game. He ended the game with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored along with a fantastic diving catch in right field. In any game that a team wins by 9 runs, there are always multiple heroes and Jeanmar Gomez deserves some credit as another one. Gomez pitched 6 innings, only allowing one earned run and earning the win. Gomez earned 5.49 'POG' points while Fukudome scored 6.94 and winning player Asdrubal Cabrera scored 7.20.

Feathers Up

Jeanmar Gomez has pumped his own value up as of late, making him a late season favorite for next year's starting rotation. In his 5 starts since coming back from AAA on August 30th, Gomez has pitched 6 innings in every game but one and has been the winning pitcher in each start. In those starts he has never given up more than 2 runs in a single game. Gomez has been on the Indians radar since he pitched a perfect game in AA Akron a few years ago and although he has had mixed results over his first two big league seasons, he looks to be becoming a strong option at starter.

With a double in the 7th inning, Travis Hafner became the 35th player to acrue 1,000 hits while playing for the Cleveland Indians. Pronk has more hits than any current member of the Tribe. Congratulations to Travis Hafner, the greatest hitter in Indians history who was unable to play a position on the field.

Feathers Down

The Indians won't be going to the playoffs in 2011. Overall an extremely positive outing against the next best team in the Central.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 11 - Chicago White Sox 2

Player of the Game

The Indians did not have any offense until the 6th inning. That all changed when Pronk slammed a 2-run shot over the right field wall. This was Travis Hafner's 13th home run of the year, earning him the "Player of the Game" award tonight with a score of 4.43. This is Hafner's 10th award of the year, tying him for 4th place on the team.

Feathers Up

Ubaldo Jimenez pitched deep into the game and had a very good outing until the 7th inning. Jimenez ended up pitching 7 complete innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits. He went into the 7th with a 2-1 lead and left the game trailing 4-2. Jimenez struck out 7 White Sox batters and walked just 2.

Indians batters only struck out 4 times tonight. If you have been watching the Indians play all year, you know that this is a big deal. Games seem to be a lot less frustrating when a team can hit the ball into play.

Feathers Down

Chad Durbin entered the game in the 8th inning, relieving Ubaldo Jimenez. He gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Alexei Ramirez. He also gave up a home run to the third batter he faced, Alex Rios. But that's not all. Chad Durbin was not satisfied with only giving up 2 home runs in an inning. He allowed Brent Morel to smash a 2-run shot into left field, giving up a total of 3 home runs in just one inning. Durbin continues his woes out of the bullpen, maintaining an ERA of over 5.00.

Final Score: Chicago White Sox 8 - Cleveland Indians 4

Matt LaPorta has a four game hitting streak. You probably haven't noticed because it has occurred over the Indians last 12 games. LaPorta, who is fourth on the team in home runs and RBI, has been essentially removed from the Indians roster as he has only been allowed to play in four of the Indians last 22 games. LaPorta's replacement has been Lou Marson who, as a back-up catcher, has played in 22 of the last 31 games. So far this season, there is no question that LaPorta is a superior player to Marson as he has a slightly higher batting average and a slugging percentage more than 100 points greater. The real question is why is then, Lou Marson starting over Matt LaPorta?

Matt LaPorta has struggled a lot over his tenure thus far with the Cleveland Indians. This is no secret and has been talked about ad nauseum, so I won't reiterate any more to that here, other than to point out that his line stats of .234/.300/.395 are not only unacceptable for the middle of the lineup spot he was supposed to be in, but are terrible even for a bottom of the order hitter. Here are a couple quotes from manager Manny Acta about Matt LaPorta from earlier in the season:

“He has made progress, but expectations for a guy like him are high. That's not because of the trade, but because of being a high draft pick and the way he cruised through the minors.”

“He's had a lot of inconsistency, but shows flashes of what we anticipated. He needs work on plate discipline. He's projected as a walks, power guy and it is still not there.

While his last point is accurate, the first isn't really the best way to think about the situation. There are so many draft busts and scouting errors, that it is a mistake to evaluate a current player based on what he did five years ago. While his numbers are not necessarily a good predictor of his future performance, the Indians must have had enough time to see where his real talent level lies. I believe that at some point during the season Tribe management decided that Matt LaPorta will never become the player they need him to be. As soon as the Indians were legitimately out of the playoff race, LaPorta was removed from the roster and sent to AAA, never to make a return to the starting line up. If there was any chance of LaPorta being the starting first baseman next season, I don't think that Manny Acta would have insulted him by replacing him with a back-up catcher. If they have already decided to part ways with LaPorta, it makes sense to see what Lou Marson is capable of in an every day role (early results: not very much).

Much has been made of Carlos Santana playing first base, but this would extremely weaken the Indians offense. While a player of Santana's talent is among the best available at catcher, he is only an average first baseman. Since Santana is a given in the roster, the question is whether the Indians will be able to find a better first baseman or catcher next season and amazingly talented catchers are in short supply.

Starting off fresh at first next year makes sense, especially if the ownership decides to finally spend for that big free agent. There are quite a few big name first basemen that should be available next year, possibly allowing some of the lower tier ones to slip to the Indians. The Yankees and Red Sox are set with Mark Teixeira, Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis so they will likely be inactive in this market, allowing other teams a shot at big names. The biggest names out there will be Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman and Prince Fielder. With the extremely low payroll of the Indians, along with an option to renegotiate with Grady Sizemore, the Indians should have enough spending money to get even a top tier player. The success early in the season and the addition of Ubaldo Jimenez for the next few years should place the Indians as an early season favorite for the Central Division in 2012 and the Dolans may pick next year as their time to take a chance.

Player of the Game

Nick Hagadone won his second "Player of the Game" award tonight with a score of 2.56. Hagadone pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with a walk and 2 strike outs. Zach McAllister was not far behind tonight with a score of 2.44. Jim Thome proved to be the best offensive player tonight. He had an RBI single, a run scored, and two walks, giving him a score of 2.35.

Feathers Up

The Indians offense put together some hits in the fourth inning to score a few runs. The inning started with singles by Jason Donald, Carlos Santana, and Jim Thome. Shelley Duncan walked and Grady Sizemore hit a sacrifice fly. Then Matt LaPorta doubled and Jack Hannahan hit a sacrifice fly. After three outs were recorded in the inning, the Indians found themselves up 4-0.

Indians starting pitcher Zach McAllister greatly improved form his last outing. Last time he pitched, on August 24th, he only pitched 3.1 innings and gave up 8 runs. Tonight, McAllister pitched 5.1 solid innings and gave up just 2 runs.

Feathers Down

Zach Putnam came out of the bullpen in the 7th inning with a one run lead and was unable to keep that lead. Putman only recorded one out before he was pulled from the game. Putnam gave up 2 singles, a double and hit a batter before giving up 2 runs and leaving 2 base runners for Nick Hagadone.

Final Score: Chicago White Sox 5 - Cleveland Indians 4

Player of the Game

Travis Hafner hit a two run home run early in the game to give the Indians a lead, and the winning margin. He also had a single later in the game as well. Kosuke Fukudome, Asdrubal Cabrera also scored well with home runs of their own, as did the relief pitchers, Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez, who all earned decisions.

Feathers Up

The Columbus Clippers won the Governors' Cup for the International League championship and will now play for the AAA championship in Albuquerque, NM. The game will be televised on versus if anyone would rather see a championship caliber team, than the Indians.

Jack Hannahan returned from the dead today to take over defensive duties at third from Lonnie Chisenhall late in the game. It's good that he got over his injury, but hopefully he will be relegated to this type of work for the rest of the season as Lonnie Chisenhall needs to get as many at bats as he can to prepare for 2012. The Indians made a couple of roster moves in the last two days as well, bringing back Zach McAllister and Corey Kluber from AAA. McAllister will start the night game tonight and Kluber will be available out of the bullpen. The Indians also announced that Josh Tomlin will be recalled in time to start next Saturday against Minnesota.

The Indians have found some offense over the last 5 games, scoring at least 6 in every game except today and hitting 3 home runs in today's game. The Indians even got the home runs from some expected run producers in Travis Hafner and Asdrubal Cabrera.

Feathers Down

Waste of space catcher, Lou Marson, struck out another 3 times today. That makes him 0 for his last 6 at bats with 6 strike outs over the last 3 games. If anyone thinks he is better than anyone currently on the Indians or Clippers they are sorely mistaken. Bet no one saw this coming, the "Bad stuff about Austin Kearns" section has now turned into bad stuff about Lou Marson. He's now batting .233 on the season.

Asdrubal Cabrera hurt himself swinging in his last at bat and was forced to leave the game for the 9th inning with an oblique injury. If the injury is serious at all we can expect Cabrera to sit out the rest of the season. He

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 - Chicago White Sox 3