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Kluber, Indians close out set with Tigers

Jun 14, 2015 - 12:17 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Cleveland Indians will close out a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers Sunday at Comerica Park by sending last year's American League Cy Young winner to the mound.

Corey Kluber hits the hill for another attempt to better a dismal record to start the new season. He'll be facing Alfredo Simon, who gets the starting nod for Detroit.

Kluber has pitched some long games this season for Cleveland, but it hasn't helped out much for his personal stats. The 29-year-old righty is just 3-7 entering the weekend with a 3.53 earned run average. But he did lead Major League Baseball in strikeouts (109) when the series began Friday.

Tuesday's start against Seattle resulted in Kluber's second consecutive loss. The Indians ace lasted seven innings - tied for his shortest stint in his last six appearances - and gave up two runs on seven hits in the 3-2 Mariners victory. The 2014 Cy Young winner has already racked up 91 2/3 innings of work this season for Cleveland.

In 12 career games and 11 lifetime starts for Kluber against Detroit, he's just 2-5 with a 4.80 ERA and a .306 batting average against.

Simon burst out of the gates this season en route to an early 3-0 record after three starts, but has cooled off just a bit since April. He enters Sunday's clash sporting a 6-3 mark with a 2.76 ERA, 51 strikeouts and 23 walks.

The Dominican Republic native settled down after some early troubles in last Sunday's start against the White Sox, and ended up lasting eight innings in which he surrendered four runs (just one earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts. It was his second win in his last three outings.

Justin Verlander made his 2015 debut Saturday for the Tigers and lasted five innings, but Detroit couldn't pull out a victory for the former Cy Young and American League MVP winner in Cleveland's 5-4 victory.

Carlos Carrasco got the start for the Indians and picked up his eighth win of the season after tossing 5 2/3 innings of seven-hit, three-run ball. Verlander, who was on the disabled list with a triceps injury prior to this start, made it through five innings and gave up three hits and two runs. Blaine Hardy was hit with the loss.

Detroit jumped out ahead to a 2-0 lead after the first three innings. Miguel Cabrera drove in a run in the first, and J.D. Martinez plated Yoenis Cespedes in the third. Cabrera now has 44 RBI this season.

Cleveland made its run to gain the lead in the fifth and sixth innings. Catcher Yan Gomes was the only Tribe player with two RBI for the visitors, but his RBI double to right in the eighth proved to be the winning run.

Although they dropped the one-run game, the Tigers held the advantage in hits over the Indians in the contest, 12-8.

Detroit still owns a 6-2 season advantage over Cleveland in head-to-head matchups headed into the rubber match Sunday.