Tigers End First Half with 5-3 Win in Cleveland
The Tigers finished the first half of the season with a 5-3 win in Cleveland, to salvage one game of the three game set.
Jose Iglesias had three hits for the Tigers. He scored the first Tiger run in the 3rd, on an Ian Kinsler single. Alex Presley had a key hit in the sixth to knock in a pair of runs and break a 1-1 tie.
Michael Fulmer started and won his 9th against six losses. He gave up a run in the fourth, and two in the seventh, as the Tribe had four hits in a row off the Tigers’ All-Star pitcher. Jose Ramirez hit his 17th homer off Fulmer. Shane Greene game in with two on and nobody out and struck out two Indians and got a weak ground ball out in between. But Green walked the first two in the eighth, giving way to closer Justin Wilson who got the Indians out, preserving a 5-3 lead, and working the 9th for the save.
The Tigers are 8 games below .500, the first time they’ve had a losing record at the break in eleven years. Detroit is 8 games behind the first place Tribe, with a 39-48 record. If the season ended today, the Tigers would be looking at 9 teams ahead of them for a wild card playoff spot.
Tiger All-Stars
Michael Fulmer is an All-Star, but won’t be pitching in this years’ mid-season Classicafter pitching in last night’s game. He won’t be rested enough to pitch by Tuesday. Tigers’ outfielder Justin Upton will also represent the Tigers in the All-Star Game.