Carlos Santana slam in ninth gives Indians 9-5 victory over Detroit
Carlos Santana gets full extension on his grand slam swing in the bottom of the ninth Friday night against the Detroit Tigers.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians were in refuse-to-lose mode Friday night at Progressive Field.
They rallied from three-run deficits twice late in the game and defeated the Tigers, 9-5.
Carlos Santana hit a one-out grand slam in the ninth inning. It was Santana's second homer in two nights.
The Indians have won 11 in a row at home and set a franchise record with their 17th victory in April. They are 17-8 -- the best record in the American League.
Chris Perez earned the victory.
The Indians have won four in a row overall; Detroit has lost four straight.
Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer off Tribe righty Jeanmar Gomez in the first. Cabrera timed a pitch that leaked over the middle of the plate and ripped it over the left-field wall.
Cabrera entered with a .323 average, 15 homers and 47 RBI in 223 official at-bats against Cleveland in his career.
Brennan Boesch followed with a grounder that first baseman Matt LaPorta mishandled. Boesch was caught attempting to steal by Santana, snapping a streak of 14 successes by opponents to begin the season.
The Tribe threatened in its half of the inning. With one out, Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo walked against hard-throwing Max Scherzer. Carlos Santana grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
Somehow, someway, Gomez escaped the second inning with no damage. Ryan Raburn opened with a shot off the right-field wall that Choo played well, forcing Raburn to stop at first.
After Jhonny Peralta flied to right, Alex Avila doubled to right, Raburn stopping at third. Brandon Inge grounded to third baseman Jack Hannahan, who erased Raburn attempting to score. The play went 5-2-5.
Austin Jackson singled to left to load the bases. Will Rhymes swung through an elevated breaking pitch for the final out.
Gomez rebounded to work a perfect third. He got Cabrera to ground to short for the second out and whiffed Boesch with a nasty slider down and in.
The Tigers made it 3-0 in the fourth -- but it could have been worse for Gomez. Raburn led off with a double down the left-field line and advanced to third on a grounder. Tribe left fielder Michael Brantley caught Alex Avila's fly at the railing. His throw to catcher Santana was off-line as Raburn crossed the plate.
Inge doubled to left and Jackson reached on an infield single to short. Rhymes once again provided the bailout, this time flying to center.
Gomez tiptoed out of trouble in the fifth. After Magglio Ordonez singled, Cabrera launched a low fastball deep to center. Sizemore caught the ball at the Tribe bullpen fence; Ordonez tagged. Boesch flied out and Raburn swung through a hanging breaking ball.
The most joyous celebration of the young season began as Carlos Santana headed toward home plate after his game-winning blast.
The Tigers put runners on first and second with one out in the sixth. Gomez caught Jackson looking at a fastball that came back to shave the outside corner. Indians manager Manny Acta hooked Gomez for Chad Durbin. Rhymes worked the count full before drawing a walk.
Pitching coach Tim Belcher visited Durbin. Moments later, Magglio Ordonez was frozen by a terrific breaking ball for strike three.
Gomez allowed the three runs on 10 hits. Despite being knocked around and having a fastball that settled in the high-80s, he came within one out of a quality start (six-plus innings, three or fewer earned runs).
The Indians pulled within 3-2 in the sixth when Shelley Duncan hit a two-out, two-run single to left. It came with the bases loaded. Orlando Cabrera grounded into a fielder's choice for the third out.
Detroit restored a three-run cushion in the seventh. Peralta hit an RBI single and Avila had a sacrifice fly.
The Indians answered with three in their half. With one out, LaPorta smoked a fastball over the wall in left. With two outs, Grady Sizemore walked. Tigers manager Jim Leyland visited Scherzer and decided to stay with him.
Asdrubal Cabrera drove the next pitch over the wall in right-center for his fifth. Leyland returned to hook Scherzer.
Scherzer entered 4-0 with a 3.19 ERA in five starts.
