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Rolling Indians look win 10th straight

Aug 27, 2008 - 10:52 AM Cleveland (64-67) at Detroit (64-68), 7:05 pm EDT

DETROIT (Ticker) -- Prior to the season, it was a forgone conclusion that the Cleveland Indians would be a legitimate force in August. It's a bit misleading, though, because the team that marched to the American League Championship Series last year is battling for third place in the AL Central while enjoying a torrid stretch.

The Indians look to extend their winning streak to a season-high 10 games and complete a sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.

Ben Francisco homered twice and Jamey Carroll drove in two runs as the surging Indians extended their winning streak to a season-high nine games with a 10-4 triumph as Cliff Lee raised his record to 19-2 on Tuesday.

With the victory, the Indians moved ahead of the Tigers by one-half game for third place. However, they are 11 1/2 games behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox (76-56).

In the opener, Franklin Gutierrez belted a homer in the 10th inning to help the Indians to a 4-3 win.

The Indians won 15 of 18 with their offense averaging 6.1 runs per game during the surge.

Fausto Carmona (6-5, 4.40 ERA) takes the mound for the Indians.

The 24-year-old righthander missed over two months with a left hip strain, but came back on July 26, when he surrendered nine runs and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings. That shelling began four outings in which he allowed 22 runs and 19 hits in 19 frames.

In his last two starts, however, he's given up two earned runs and 12 hits in 13 innings. Carmona held the heavy-hitting Texas Rangers to one unearned run and six hits in six innings on Friday, becoming the beneficiary of a 7-5 decision.

The Tigers will counter with Justin Verlander (10-13, 4.42), who has been consistently inconsistent. The former AL Rookie of the Year was 35-15 over the last two seasons and in that span, never had an ERA higher than 3.66.

This season, however, he has allowed five runs or more in eight of his 27 starts - a pain he endured four times in all of 2007.

Verlander's last two outings have been impressive. The righthander is 2-0 and while holding the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals to two unearned runs and 12 hits in 12 2/3 innings overall.

He is 1-3 with a 5.84 ERA in four starts against Cleveland this season.