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Guillen, Inge help Rogers to third straight win

Jul 5, 2007 - 3:38 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Carlos Guillen pounded out three hits and Brandon Inge drove in a pair of runs to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.

Kenny Rogers turned in a solid performance for the Tigers, who snapped the Indians' six-game winning streak and pulled within two games of Cleveland for the division lead in the American League Central.

Guillen, who was named to the All-Star team on Sunday, got Detroit on the board with an RBI single in the first and set up the team's last run with a triple over the head of Cleveland center fielder Grady Sizemore in the seventh.

Guillen's most important contribution to the win may have come with his glove, as he made a dazzling play in the field to help Rogers out of a jam in the fifth.

With runners on second and third and the dangerous Travis Hafner at the plate, Guillen was set up on the right side of second base when the Indians' slugger hit a sharp grounder to the left of the bag.

The shortstop ranged to his right to snare the ball and end the inning, saving two runs in the process.

"That was a big play by Guillen," Tigers first baseman Sean Casey said. "This team just keeps coming back at you, but the defense kept us in the game. Now we have a chance to win the series."

Inge plated a run in the second inning with a single to push Detroit's lead to 2-0, and started a three-run rally in the third with a groundout bunt that scored Ivan Rodriguez from third.

Rogers (3-0) entered Wednesday's contest having allowed just one run in two starts since coming off the disabled list on June 22.

The veteran lefthander was not quite as sharp as he had been in his previous two contests, but he battled to hold the Indians to two runs - one earned - in 5 1/3 innings despite allowing seven hits and issuing three walks.

"That wasn't vintage Kenny tonight," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "But it was good enough. He doesn't have to be perfect if we make plays behind him. Ingie makes those all the time, (Marcus) Thames made a great play and so did Guillen.

"Those are the things you need to do. You have to do enough small things to win games."

Rogers got the big outs when he needed them, striking out Jhonny Peralta with runners on first and third to end the third inning and then getting groundouts with runners on second and third to end both the fourth and fifth frames.

"I wasn't nearly as sharp as I wanted to be," Rogers said. "But every time I made a mistake, someone was making a great play behind me. Guys were diving all over the place."

Three relievers bridged the gap to Tigers closer Todd Jones, who pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 21st save. It was Jones' 200th save with the franchise.

Cleveland starter Jake Westbrook (1-4) could not find his trademark sinkerball from the start, leaving pitches up in the zone for his entire outing. The veteran righthander surrendered five runs and 10 hits in six frames to take the loss.

"I was a little frustrated on the number of two-out hits that I gave up," Westbrook said. "I couldn't make the big pitch for the out when we needed it and that cost us the game. That's something that I have to get better at."

Westbrook has just one win this season, but had been pitching well before Wednesday, allowing four runs in his last 14 innings over two starts.

"Westbrook did a good job," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "He battled all the way. He got us late into the game and gave us a chance to win."

Hafner made a game of it in the seventh when he blasted a two-run shot over the wall in left off Macay McBride, but the suspect Tigers bullpen held up and nailed down the win.