Cleveland, OH - Jhonny Peralta tied the game with a two-out, two-run home run in the eighth then Casey Blake ended it with a solo shot just over the high wall in left during the 11th frame, as Cleveland downed Detroit, 6-5, at Jacobs Field.
For Blake, it was another dramatic ending with one swing of the bat. The third baseman capped Friday night's victory with his home run in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Kansas City.
Peralta hit his 19th and 20th homers of the campaign along with working three walks for the Indians, winners in three of four. Asdrubal Cabrera finished 2- for-4 with two runs scored in the victory. Rafael Betancourt (5-1) got the win, allowing one hit with four strikeouts through two frames.
Placido Polanco went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and Carlos Guillen doubled twice with two runs scored for the Tigers, who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.
Cleveland now leads Detroit by 5 1/2 games in the American League Central race, while the Tigers dropped 3 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees for the American League wild card.
After Kenny Lofton grounded out to begin the bottom of the 11th, Blake drilled a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left against Zach Miner (3-4).
Extra innings were possible because of Peralta's heroics in the eighth. Grady Sizemore walked and Cabrera singled before Travis Hafner moved both up one base on a ground out. Victor Martinez knocked in Sizemore with another ground out before Peralta's home run to right.
In the bottom of the first, Cabrera hit a high drive deep to left off Timo Perez's glove and the wall before kicking back toward the infield. Curtis Granderson backed up the play nicely, and his throw to third beat Cabrera, but the second baseman used a nifty slide with his left hand to sneak in for a triple. With Martinez at the plate, a low pitch bounced past Ivan Rodriguez, allowing Cabrera to score.
The Tigers answered in the top of the second as Guillen led off with a double and scored on Ramon Santiago's base hit. Polanco's ninth home run of the campaign, a solo shot in the pavilion in left, gave Detroit a 2-1 lead in the third.
The Indians defense couldn't keep the ball in its collective glove as the floodgates opened for the Tigers in the fourth. Magglio Ordonez started the frame with a single and Guillen followed with his second double in as many at- bats to put runners at second and third. Rodriguez then chopped a ball to shortstop -- a routine play that easily scored Ordonez -- but Peralta mishandled the hop and his throw wasn't in time to get the catcher. Perez then drilled a single to right, overrun by Jason Michaels, allowing Rodriguez to take third as Guillen scored.
Santiago placed a perfect drag bunt down the first base line for another hit, scoring Rodriguez for a 5-1 game. Runners still stood at first and second without an out, but Paul Byrd got Brandon Inge to bunt into a double play and Granderson popped out to short.
Peralta's long fly ball to dead center kept carrying just over the wall in center to make the score 5-2 in the home half of the fourth.
Game Notes
Byrd started for Cleveland and gave up five runs -- four earned -- on 10 hits over 7 1/3 frames...Kenny Rogers started for Detroit and gave up two runs on five hits over seven innings...Peralta now has four career two-homer games with this being his second of the season...Martinez now has 105 RBI on the season...Attendance 28,825.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes
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