Series Summary:

The Tigers enter the three-game series with a four-game lead in the AL Central, their largest of the season. They've won six of their last 10 games. Detroit is hitting .298 against the Tribe with Miguel Cabrera leading the way at .400 (8-for-20) with two homers and six RBI. Verlander is 1-0 against the Indians this year and 7-1 over the last three.

• Tigers News/Notes:

• DH Victor Martinez is expected to return to action tonight here in Cleveland after sitting out Detroit's game Sunday in Kansas City due to a left knee injury. Martinez is hitting .342 in his last 63 games, including .556 with runners in scoring position since July 17.

• RHP Jose Valverde can set a new Detroit record if he converts his next save opportunity, which would be his 33rd in a row. Valverde is currently tied with LHP Willie Hernandez, who didn't blow any of his 32 save chances while winning the MVP and Cy Young Award for the 1984 Tigers.

• OF Andy Dirks has performed well for Detroit, and manager Jim Leyland likes his all-around game. Leyland has spot-played him and used him as a pinch runner.

• LF Brennan Boesch will continue to bat in the second spot in Detroit's lineup, probably for the remainder of the season. Boesch began the season as a support hitter to 1B Miguel Cabrera and DH Victor Martinez in the sixth, sometimes seventh spot in the order. Leyland had a chance to move Boesch down to third Sunday but kept him second, where he has hit since 2B Carlos Guillen returned to the roster after the All-Star break.

• RHP Max Scherzer continues to progress as a pitcher, but manager Jim Leyland says the right-hander still has a couple of things he needs to do. Scherzer allowed three runs in one inning and a solo home run later in absorbing a 4-3 loss Sunday in Kansas City.

Tigers Medical Watch:

• DH Victor Martinez (sprained left knee) was hurt in the Aug. 6 game and was held out Aug. 7. He is day-to-day and should return tonight.

• LHP Brad Thomas (sore left elbow) went on the 60-day disabled list July 25. He was shut down from throwing until at least mid-August.

• RHP Joel Zumaya (right elbow surgery in July 2010) experienced pain in the elbow during his Feb. 27 spring debut, and he went on the 15-day disabled list March 30. He was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 18. He had exploratory surgery May 10, and he might be out for the season.

Pitching Matchups:

 RHP Doug Fister (4-12, 3.29) vs. RHP Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.63) Tonight at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Scott Porcello (11-6, 4.49) vs. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (6-9, 4.64) Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

RHP Justin Verlander (16-5, 2.30) vs. RHP Fausto Carmona (5-11, 5.19) Thursday at 7:05 p.m.

Player of the Game

Josh Tomlin takes the cake tonight, with a 'Player of the Game' score of 5.78 that should have been higher. Tomlin pitched into the 8th without allowing any runs, but had a win taken away from him and 2 runs added to his season total when Joe Smith imploded. Smith not only allowed both of Tomlin's runners to score, but three of his own, earning him a blown save and the loss for a 'POG' score of -6.57.

Feathers Up

In some non game related news, Shin-Soo Choo will begin his rehab assignment tomorrow night with the Lake County Captains. As long as there are no set backs, he should return to the Tribe within a week. The Indians have to make a roster move tomorrow as Jack Hannahan's time on paternity leave is up, so expect either Shelley Duncan or Ezequiel Carrera to be sent back to the minors. The best move would be to get rid of Jason Donald or Austin Kearns for Tuesday's game and get rid of the other one to make room for Choo, but the Indians have been very reluctant to move players not named Buck, Duncan or Carrera.

How 'bout that Michael Brantley? Over his last 3 games (10 at bats) he has hit a true cycle, single, double, triple and home run. Take that for what it's worth (not much).

Feathers Down

The Indians were only two innings away from going 4-3 on the road trip and being just 2 games behind Detroit with the Tigers coming into Cleveland next, but ended up going 3-4, 3 games behind Detroit. Now the Indians will have to sweep the Tigers to make any real progress in the division race.

Manny Acta did everything right tonight, but it still wasn't enough. He started all his starters, had one of his most reliable pitchers starting and took him out when he started to look tired. He even matched up late with Joe Smith and Rafael Perez, who have been two of the premier relievers in the American League this year. This is a prime example how little the manager actually effects the game. He put all the pieces in place, they just didn't do what they were supposed to do.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 3 - Texas Rangers 5

Player of the Game

Jason Kipnis won his third 'Player of the Game' with his 5th Major League home run. When Kipnis hit the home run it looked like it wouldn't matter, but when the Rangers scored a run in the 9th and had two others on base, it was obvious how important it really was. Kipnis also had a single and an error earlier in the game for a final score of 2.97. An interesting side note on Chris Perez; he has had only one positive game in his last seven and two in his last nine. This is largely the fault of the Indians offense and other bullpen pitchers as he has not had many save situations during that period, but he has also not had very many games where he didn't allow at least one run.

Feathers Up

Neftali Feliz made a huge mistake against Lonnie Chisenhall in the 9th inning and Lonnie made him pay. With a runner on third and one outs, Feliz threw two outside fastballs that Chisenhall swung and missed at. The Chiz Kid was no where near hitting either pitch, but rather than continue that strategy, Feliz came inside on Lonnie, who returned the favor with a sharp single pulled to right to score Kosuke Fukudome from third. Michael Brantley later came up with 2 outs and came through as well, hitting a double into a huge gap in right field that scored Chisenhall from first.

The Indians have scored 7 runs in three straight games, showing another resurgence in the offense. The best part is that some players the Indians really need to play well are playing well, like Carlos Santana (14 total bases in last 3 games) and Kosuke Fukudome (9 TB in last 3).

Shelley Duncan is back with the Tribe and there he should stay. In his two games back he has started both, hitting a double, a home run and a single, scoring once, knocking in two and has walked twice. The fact that Shelley Duncan went from minor leaguer to starter, bypassing both Austin Kearns and Ezequiel Carrera, shows that there is something very odd going on that is keeping Kearns on the team at all. Here are some stats that everyone already must have guessed, and show the same point over and over again. Austin Kearns against lefties: .235 AVG/.316 OBP/.250 SLG. Shelley Duncan against lefties: .241/.290/.379. I hope Austin Kearns knows he is costing players who are far better than him playing time and money and is hurting the Indians as a team. Indians management should know this as well. I would write a separate post about this, but it really feels like beating a pulverized horse.

Feathers Down

Asdrubal had a phantom error tonight on a ball he probably shouldn't have even gotten to. With a runner on first Cabrera tried to field a ball standing up, but it just glanced off the edge of his glove, turning into a two base error. This error ended up allowing both unearned runs that scored against Fausto Carmona.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 7 - Texas Rangers 5

Player of the Game

Carlos Santana makes it two in a row, beating his previous 'Player of the Game' score with an 8.51 due to 5 RBI coming off a 3 run home run and a 2 run double. The Indians should have been able to win this one on the strength of Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez, who scored a -2.55 in his Indians debut, alone, but the bullpen would not allow it.

Feathers Up

Ubaldo Jimenez's first start as an Indian wasn't great, but it was good enough to win if the Indians could have held the 4 run lead they had when he was removed from the game. Jimenez struck out 7, but allowed 7 hits, the majority of which went for extra bases. He gave up 5 runs, but the last one shouldn't be solely charged to him as it was Chad Durbin who allowed Mitch Moreland to score from first base.

Feathers Down

I guess we have to blame the Perez's for tonight's loss. It's extremely hard to beat the Rangers at all, especially in Texas, so it really hurts that the Tribe let this one get away. In order to keep even with the Tigers before their series with them in Cleveland next week, the Indians will have to pull out the last two games against Texas which seems extremely difficult with Fausto Carmona and Josh Tomlin pitching in a ballpark that is very conducive to giving up home runs.

Justin Germano is no longer an Indian, a Clipper or even a member of Major League Baseball. He was given permission from the Indians to seek employment elsewhere and has decided to sign with the Samsung Lions of the Korean League. This is kind of sad to see as I would have liked to have seen him get one more shot with the Tribe after he pitched a perfect game for the Columbus Clippers.

Jack Hannahan was missing from today's game as he has taken advantage of Major League Baseball's new paternity leave policy to spend some time with his wife while she has his child. Shelley Duncan was called up in his place (this is a good thing). I understand that your wife is having a baby or your grandmother just died or you got a stomach ache or you have to become an American citizen, but it would be nice if the Indians could play just one game with their entire Major League team. Currently, Hannahan is gone, Carlos Carrasco is suspended, Michael Brantley is nursing a sore wrist, Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo are on the disabled list and the list goes on as it has all season. I guess my point is, thank you Asdrubal Cabrera for playing in every single game this season except for one. The real question is, what were you doing that was so important on July 10th that you had to miss a game? 

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 7 - Texas Rangers of Arlington 8

Player of the Game

Carlos Santana atoned for last night's poor performance by offensively leading the Indians to victory. He earned a 'Player of the Game' score of 7.34 with 2 singles, a walk and a home run, scoring twice and knocking in 3. Last night Santana had a score of -0.51 as he struck out 4 times. This was his highest score of 2011.

Feathers Up

Since we often remark on the Indians inability to score runners from second base, it's important to note that the Indians did extremely well in this aspect tonight as 6 of the 7 runs were scored by runners in scoring position. The Indians had a couple of other hits with runners on as well that did not score including a single by Jason Donald with Matt LaPorta at second and two outs, where LaPorta was thrown out at home by about 20 feet. Silly Matt thought he was fast for a second.

Justin Masterson gave up the two run lead early on, but the Indians were able to come back twice and Masterson was able to keep them from scoring more than three. This is especially nice as it allowed Justin to earn his 9th win of the season after having three straight good starts without getting a win.

The Indians (especially Jason Kipnis) had been taking advantage of the short porch in right field at Fenway Park this series, but tonight, Travis Hafner and Carlos Santana each hit deep drives straight to center for a double and a home run and later, LaPorta and Kosuke Fukudome hit balls high off the Green Monster.

Feathers Down

The reason Austin Kearns has been starting the last couple games is that Michael Brantley hurt his right wrist. Apparently, he has been playing injured for some time now and is trying to see if resting it a few days will speed up the healing process. Hopefully he will be back soon as Michael Brantley with no wrists is still better than Austin Kearns.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 7 - Boston Red Sox 3

Player of the Game

Jason Kipnis won the 'Player of the Game' tonight against the Sox for being the only player who could figure out the knuckle-ball. Kipnis hit his 4th career home run and walked twice against Boston pitching and earned a 'POG' score of 3.45. Ezequiel Carrera, Travis Hafner and Carlos Carrasco all had decent games as well, each scoring higher than 1.70. Even though Carrasco's perfomance of only 3 runs allowed in 7 innings pitched was acceptable, I would still prefer to see David Huff make his next start in the rotation.

Feathers Up

You can take all the feathers up from last night's game and add one to them for tonight's. Jason Kipnis hit another home run, his 4th in as many games, tying him with Al Rosen for most consecutive games with a home run by an Indians rookie. Ezequiel Carrera hit another double, adding an RBI as well to continue his positive play and Lonnie Chisenhall contributed again with a double and a run scored. Of course the ending was the same as well knocking the Indians to 4 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central.

Feathers Down (AKA: Bad things about Austin Kearns)

Austin Kearns looks like a fool in the outfield. In today's game alone he mishandled a single, which could have easily turned into more and he crashed into the green monster, missing a catch that every other Indians outfielder would have probably caught. He has to know how bad he looks out there. If he had any self respect at all or wanted the Indians to win, he would just retire immediately.

He also looks like a fool at the plate. His 0-4 tonight with 1 strike out was only beaten by Carlos Santana's 4 strike out night for worst offensive performance of the night. Apparently, Jobu no hit knuckle-ball.

How does Jacoby Ellsbury beat two different Indians right handers to win the game in back-to-back nights? The Indians are now at .500 for the first time since game 4 of this season.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 3 - Boston Red Sox 4

You know it's the year of the pitcher when a 0.51 ERA over 3 starts doesn't make you good enough to be a Major Leaguer. Today the Indians sent left hander David Huff back down to AAA Columbus to make room for Ubaldo Jimenez. Along with the great ERA, Huff had allowed only a .197 batting average and a WHIP of under 1.00. He also had a strikeout to walk ratio of 14/5, a huge improvement in an area he has struggled with in his career (75/112 before this season). Not only did he pull off these numbers, but he did it in games against the Twins, Angels and Red Sox, three of the best teams in the American League.

I'm not saying that Ubaldo Jimenez isn't an improvement over Huff, only that there are other players who probably should have been demoted first. Of course there is a decent chance that Carlos Carrasco (8-9, 4.67 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) could accept his suspension after his next start, then be demoted shortly after it is over. If this happens, Huff will be back and Carrasco will be back in the minors where he belongs right now.

Ubaldo Jimenez will be making his Indians debut on Friday night in Texas. He should get approximately 10 starts for the Indians this season.

Player of the Game

David Huff won tonight's 'Player of the Game' to keep his streak for the season going. So far, he has won the award in every single game he has pitched in (3) this season. Huff has still only allowed a single earned run on the season, although the first run of tonight's game scored on his wild pitch. He pitched 5 innings tonight, only allowing 3 hits and striking out 6. His final game score was 5.46

Feathers Up

The rookies have taken the lead over the last few games, with Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis and Ezequiel Carrera all playing big roles for the Tribe. Jason Kipnis has hit a home run in each of the last three games making him the first Indians rookie to do that since Richie Sexson. Lonnie Chisehall hit his third home run of the season (and his career) giving the Indians a one run lead early in the game and Ezequiel Carrera has had 2 total bases in each of the last three games.

A lot of people have been saying the Indians have trouble with the Red Sox, but even after tonight's tough loss to Red Sox ace Josh Beckett, the Indians are 5-3 against them this season. It seems to me that if you win four of the first six games in a 7 game series against a team, you would be considered the better team, but that doesn't count with east coast bias.

Feathers Down

While David Huff has been very impressive in his first three starts this year for the Indians, there is one small thing that may send him toward Columbus before Ubaldo Jimenez's first start. In three games he has only given up one run, but has only pitched out of the 6th inning once. While what he has given the Indians thus far is exceptional, it may be asking the bullpen a bit too much to have them pitch 4 innings a night. Hopefully, this won't bother Indians management much and they will make the right choice by sending Carlos Carrasco back to AAA.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 2 - Boston Red Sox 3

Player of the Game

Asdrubal Cabrera took two deep tonight winning him his 13th 'Player of the Game' of the season. While he has been the Indians best player by far so far this season, he wasn't all that special in July, as he was never the best player in a game during that month. Cabrera earned 10.03 'POG' points for his 2 home run, 3 hit, 3 run, 4 RBI night. Jason Kipnis played also played well as he earned his highest score of the season, with a 5.46. His previous high was the 2.81 he earned yesterday. His score tonight more than doubled his career 'POG' total.

Feathers Up

Pitcher Josh Tomlin saved a run and prevented a potential error by center fielder Ezequiel Carrera in the bottom of the third inning. Keven Youkilis hit a triple off the garage door in center field, and when Carrera threw the ball in, he over threw the cut-off man. Youkilis then tried to score, but Tomlin, near the third base dugout, was there to backup the throw, and nailed Youkilis at the plate.

Josh Tomlin continued his streak of pitching at least 5 innings in every start of his career. Tonight in his no decision, Tomlin went 6 innings, giving up 5 runs. We look forward to seeing the continuation of this streak as the season goes on.

Back-to-back…that’s how the Indians roll. Asbrubal Cabrera gave the Indians the lead in the 6th inning with a 2-run shot down the right field line. Travis Hafner, jealous of the Asdrubal home run, decided he wanted one, too. Pronk blasted a John Lackey cutter into the Red Sox bullpen in centerfield.

Feathers Down

Carlos Carrasco was suspended 6 games for throwing a ball at Billy Butler's head in Kansas City. I'm not saying whether he deserved to be suspended or not, but he apparently thinks he is innocent, as he is appealing the suspension. He should make his next start, but will probably miss a start at some point down the line.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 9 - Boston Red Sox 6

Summary:

...Red Sox have won 11 of their last 15 games.

...They've outscored the Indians, 25-19 in the season series.

...Beckett is 1-1 and Lester 1-0 against the Tribe this year.

...Carl Crawford is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with two homers and three RBI against the Indians.

Pitching Matchups:

RHP Josh Tomlin (11-5, 4.01) vs. RHP John Lackey (9-8, 6.20) Tonight at 7:10

LHP David Huff (1-1, 0.71) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (9-4, 2.17) Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.

*RHP Carlos Carrasco (8-9, 4.67) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (6-4, 5.06) Wednesday at 7:10 p.m.

RHP Justin Masterson (8-7, 2.57) vs. LHP Jon Lester (10-4, 3.23) Thursday at 7:10 p.m.

*Could be Ubaldo Jimenez.

Red Sox Medical Watch:

• LF Carl Crawford (strained left elbow) did not play July 27. He appeared as a pinch hitter July 28, and started on July 29.

• RF J.D. Drew (left shoulder impingement) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 20.

• RHP Bobby Jenks (back tightness) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 8. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection July 18. According to manager Terry Francona, the injury is located in the same area as the muscle strain that sidelined Jenks in June. It's unclear when Jenks will be ready to resume pitching.

• RHP Clay Buchholz (lower back stiffness) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 17. He threw a bullpen session June 26, but he felt renewed tightness July 28. He received a cortisone shot July 6 and resumed throwing July 18, playing catch from 120 feet. He long-tossed July 20 and July 22. He threw off a mound July 25, but then was sore, causing him to cancel a scheduled July 27 bullpen session. He said he did not experience a setback, but he was expected to be examined by a specialist on Aug. 1. Buchholz was transferred to the 60-day DL on July 31.

• SS Jed Lowrie (sore left shoulder) went on the 15-day disabled list June 17. Lowrie underwent an MRI exam on June 17 and got a second opinion from Dr. Lewis Yocum, who prescribed rest. He began hitting off a tee during the week of July 18-24, then took batting practice for the first time July 27. He might begin a rehab assignment on Aug. 1 at Class AAA Pawtucket.

• RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (sprained right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 17, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 3. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery June 10.

• LHP Rich Hill (sprained left elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 2, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 27. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery June 9.

Red Sox News/Notes:

• LHP Andrew Miller may be the pitcher most affected by Sunday's trade for LHP Erik Bedard. For now, though, Miller remains unconcerned. After allowing three runs on 10 hits in only 5-2/3 innings Sunday against the White Sox, Miller said he isn't worried about being moved to the bullpen in favor of Bedard.

• 1B Adrian Gonzalez sat out Friday night's game in Chicago because of a stiff neck, and manager Terry Francona indicated Sunday that the slugger was still feeling the residual effects. If that was the case, Gonzalez was utterly unaffected. By notching two doubles Sunday, Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 10 games. During that stretch, he's batting .535 (23-for-53) with seven consecutive multi-hit games.

• RHP Clay Buchholz is expected to see back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins on Monday in Los Angeles. Buchholz has been sidelined since mid-June with a lower back strain that has shown little improvement.

• C Jason Varitek staked the Red Sox to a lead in the second inning Sunday with a two-run home run against Chicago starter Mark Buehrle. Between them, Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia have given the Sox 16 homers from their catchers. Among AL teams, only the Blue Jays (19) have more.

• LHP Jon Lester was both efficient and effective Saturday night in his second start since coming off the disabled list with a strained lat muscle.

  Lester allowed little more than a pair of solo homers and mostly mowed down the White Sox in a 10-2 victory and proved that, while the Red Sox sought to bolster the back of their rotation by acquiring LHP Erik Bedard, there is nothing wrong with their ace. Lester gave up four hits, struck out eight, walked only one and finished eight innings for the first time since June 18 en route to his first victory since June 30.