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Cleveland's Jimenez takes on Tigers

Aug 4, 2012 - 3:22 PM (Sports Network) - Dominican right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez tries to produce a second straight gem against the Detroit Tigers tonight when his Cleveland Indians visit them for the second of three games at Comerica Park.

The Tigers took the lead in the series on Friday, when Prince Fielder went 3- for-4 with a home run and four RBI in a 10-2 rout.

Miguel Cabrera also had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run, while Alex Avila went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI in a 16-hit barrage for Detroit, which was coming off a disappointing 3-6 road trip.

The offensive explosion helped Anibal Sanchez (1-1) earn his first victory in a Tigers uniform.

Sanchez, in his second start since being traded from the Marlins, allowed two runs - one earned - on eight hits and a pair of walks in six-plus innings.

"The run support I had today helped me a lot," Sanchez said.

Justin Masterson (7-10) lasted only four innings after getting tagged for seven runs on 10 hits in Cleveland's seventh straight loss.

"I let the team down. I wanted to go out there and set a solid tone," Masterson said.

Before the game, the Indians designated the struggling Johnny Damon for assignment and called up Ezequiel Carrera looking for a spark offensively.

Jimenez, acquired from Colorado in a trade deadline deal last season, got a no-decision in a July 24 meeting with the Tigers at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

He tossed six innings, allowed seven hits and zero runs before exiting a game the Indians ultimately won, 3-2.

Jimenez is 4-5 in 10 career starts against Detroit and has posted a 4.81 earned run average across 58 innings.

He was a 5-1 loser at Minnesota in his lone start since the Detroit game, allowing five runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings on July 29.

Jimenez was 19-8 in his final full season with Colorado, but is just 12-14 in 32 appearances with Cleveland since the trade.

Detroit replies with righty Doug Fister, who took the loss against Jimenez and the Indians in the July 24 meeting.

Fister's three-start win streak was snapped after he was touched for three runs on nine hits in seven innings while walking one Cleveland batter and striking out four.

He rebounded for a 4-1 win at Toronto five days later and improved to 5-7 on the season after going eight innings and allowing a run on seven hits with nine strikeouts.

Fister has won four of five starts since beginning the season at 1-6.

He's 3-3 lifetime against the Indians in 10 starts.

The Indians have won seven of 10 games between the teams in 2012, including a three-game sweep from May 22-24 in Cleveland.

The Tigers won the 2011 season series, 12 games to six.