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Indians edge Tigers 6-5 in 13 innings

Aug 1, 2009 - 4:56 AM By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND(AP) -- Drained by emotion, the Cleveland Indians dug deep and found a way to win. Victor Martinez would have been proud.

Jamey Carroll slapped an RBI single just inside the bag at first in the 13th inning on Friday night, giving Cleveland a 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers just hours after the Indians traded Martinez, their popular All-Star catcher, shortly before the non-waiver deadline.

Carroll sliced his single off rookie Casey Fien (0-1) just inside the first-base bag to score Jhonny Peralta, who opened the 13th with a double. Carroll was mobbed in the infield by his teammates, who a few hours earlier were saying goodbye to Martinez, now a member of the Boston Red Sox.

"Victor's been the heart and soul of who we are," said Carroll, who struck out looking with runners at second and third to end the 10th. "It's a tough situation to see. We loved Victor and it was tough to see him go. We've kind of done it to ourselves."

Toma Ohka (1-4), the Indians' sixth reliever, pitched four scoreless innings for his first win since April 29, 2007, when he was with Toronto.

Indians manager Eric Wedge, whose future in Cleveland won't be decided until after this season, said seeing Martinez leave was difficult.

"That was probably the toughest goodbye," he said. "Vic is a special guy."

Peralta and Trevor Crowe, recalled earlier in the day from the minors, had three hits apiece as the Indians won for the seventh time in 10 games.

Carlos Guillen hit a two-run homer for the Tigers, who have dropped four of five but lead the AL Central by 2 1/2 games.

"It was a great ballgame, we came out on the wrong end," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "They finally got the big hit and we didn't."

Cleveland took a 5-3 lead into the ninth and seemed in control, when once again, the Indians' unreliable bullpen let them down.

This time, the culprit was closer Kerry Wood, who gave up Guillen's homer.

After Placido Polanco singled leading off against Wood, attempting to get his second four-out save this season, Guillen turned on a 3-1 pitch and drove it into the seats in right-center for his second homer. He returned last week after missing 68 games with a shoulder injury.

Guillen's shot cost Indians starter Fausto Carmona his first win since May 14. The right-hander was sent to the Indians' player development complex in Arizona to work on his mechanics and mental approach. A former 19-game winner, he dodged some early trouble and lasted five innings, allowing two runs and four hits.

"I liked Fausto's pace. I liked the way he stayed in control," Wedge said. "It was a very good first day back."

Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the first off Tigers starter Edwin Jackson and added an RBI double in sixth.

Jackson gave up two runs and eight hits in four innings - his shortest outing of 2009. The right-hander has just one win in his last nine starts.

The Tigers also made a major move before the non-waiver trading deadline. They acquired left-hander Jarrod Washburn from Seattle for the playoff stretch while the Indians made their fifth trade since June 27 by dealing Martinez to the Red Sox for three pitchers.

Carmona was in immediate trouble in the first. The Tigers loaded the bases with one out before Clete Thomas hit a two-run single that brought Indians pitching coach Carl Willis out for a mound visit to calm his right-hander. Carmona settled down and escaped the inning without any more damage.

NOTES: Fifteen pitchers combined to throw 490 pitches. ... The Indians will induct All-Star catcher Sandy Alomar and pitcher Wes Ferrell into their Hall of Fame on Saturday. Alomar is currently a catching instructor with the New York Mets and hopes to manage one day. ... Washburn will make his first start for the Tigers next Tuesday against Baltimore. ... Tigers RHP Jeremy Bonderman (shoulder) and LHP Nate Robertson (elbow) threw simulated games on Friday. Both may make minor league rehab appearances next week. ... Indians RHP Jake Westbrook, who underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2008, will pitch three innings on Tuesday in a minor league game. He should be back in the majors in a few weeks.