Cleveland’s Jake Westbrook and Detroit’s Nate Robertson kept the game scoreless through eight innings in a battle of bullpens untl pinch-hitter Kenny Lofton’s infield single off Joel Zumaya broke a scoreless tie with two outs in the 10th inning, and the Indians went on to beat Detroit 3-1 Thursday.
Down 3-0 in the 10th, the Tigers still had a chance to win a series for the first time since mid-July. Marcus Thames hit an RBI double with two outs off Joe Borowski, putting a pair of runners in scoring position, but Ivan Rodriguez popped up to end the game.
The tribe won the three-game series and lead the Tigers in the division by 2 1/2 games, the biggest cushion since it was ahead by three games on July 3.
