Tribe Tops Tigers For 10th In A Row

What a remarkable stretch drive this could have been for the Indians. Cleveland defeated the Detroit Tigers, 9-7, for its 10th consecutive win on Wednesday night. If only ... the Indians hadn't had so many critical injuries to so many key players ... they hadn't traded away ace CC Sabathia and veteran Casey Blake ... guys that are playing well now hadn't been in such a funk earlier. But they did.

The Indians now have a 10-game winning streak and 10-game losing streak this season. Here, courtesy of the Tribe's media relations staff, are the other teams in Major League history to do it:

2004  Tampa Bay Devil Rays
1999  Baltimore Orioles
1998  Cincinnati Reds
1991  New York Mets
1987  Baltimore Orioles
1987  Milwaukee Brewers
1985  Minnesota Twins
1982  Atlanta Braves
1979  Cleveland Indians
1976  Chicago White Sox
1970  Chicago Cubs
1959  Kansas City Athletics
1957  Cincinnati Reds
1955  Philadelphia Phillies
1951  New York Giants
1944  Chicago Cubs
1943  Brooklyn Dodgers
1932  Pittsburgh Pirates
1931  Cleveland Indians
1921  Washington Senators

When the season began, a three-game sweep in Detroit in this final week of August would have appeared to have been heaven-sent. The defending AL Central champion Tribe and Tigers were expected to battle it out for supremacy not only in the division but perhaps for the best record in the AL.

Instead, the suddenly surging Indians only passed the lackluster Tigers for third place this week.

The Indians completed a perfect six-game trip for the first time since Aug. 5-11, 2005, and have won 10 in a row for the first time since April 3-13, 2002.

Home runs by Kelly Shoppach (No. 17) and Shin-Soo Choo (No. 7), who had three hits, helped Fausto Carmona (7-5, 4.50 ERA) and three relievers hold off the Tigers.

Carmona won back-to-back starts for the first time since April 17 and 24. The right-hander gave up seven hits and four runs over six innings. He walked three and struck out three.

Carmona was one of the key players who spent a lot of time on the disabled list as the Indians faded from contention. He missed two months with a straihed left hip. DH Travis Hafner hasn't played since May, catcher Victor Martinez, second baseman Josh Barfield and right-hander Jake Westbrook have all been out since June after having various surgeries. Westbrook won't be back until next summer.

Carmona improved to 3-0 this year against Detroit, while Tigers ace Justin Verlander dropped to 1-4 this season against Cleveland.

Jhonny Peralta (.281) put Cleveland ahead with an RBI single in the first inning off the right-hander.

Curtis Granderson led off the bottom half against Carmona with a homer to tie it, but Grady Sizemore (.269) hit a two-run single in the Indians' second inning to make it 3-1.

Consecutive RBI singles by Brandon Inge, Ramon Santiago and Granderson in the bottom half put the Tigers ahead, 4-3.

After Ryan Garko (.256) was hit by a pitch to open the Indians' fourth, Shoppach (.263) belted a 2-0 offering over the wall in left to put Cleveland ahead to stay at 5-4.

Choo (.266) followed a leadoff walk to Peralta in the seventh with a homer to right off reliever Gary Glover to make it 7-4.

Magglio Ordonez's RBI double in the bottom half off Rafael Betancourt (5.15 ERA) got Detroit within 7-5, but RBI singles by Garko made it 9-5 in the eighth.

Jensen Lewis (4.05 ERA) allowed a two-run homer to Ordonez in the ninth, then fanned Miguel Cabrera for the final out.