Tigers 7, Indians 0
CLEVELAND -- The opener of a four-game series between the top two teams in the American League Central was a mismatch.
Detroit designated hitter Victor Martinez had three hits and three RBIs against his former team and pitcher Rick Porcello pitched seven shutout innings to lead the Tigers to a 7-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Friday night.
Detroit has now won four in a row and Cleveland has lost three straight while falling 2 1/2 games behind the division-leading Tigers.
The Tigers made short work of Justin Masterson, Cleveland's No.1 starter, who was clobbered for six runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season.
Masterson has struggled against the Tigers this year and in his career. He is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA in two starts against Detroit this year and 2-8 with a 5.54 in 15 career appearances against the Tigers.
Porcello held Cleveland to five hits in seven scoreless innings to improve his record to 5-6.
The Tigers took a 2-0 lead off Masterson in the second inning. With runners at first and second and one out, Mike Avila drew a walk to load the bases. Ramon Santiago followed that with a single up the middle, driving in two runs.
Detroit made it 3-0 in the third, which began with a double by Andy Dirks into the right-center-field gap. Miguel Cabrera drove in Dirks with a single to center for Cabrera's American League-leading 86th RBI of the year.
Masterson's shortest outing of the season ended in the fifth when he walked two, threw a wild pitch and gave up consecutive two-out RBI hits to Martinez and Jhonny Peralta. Martinez singled in a run and Peralta doubled in two to extend the Detroit lead to 6-0.
NOTES: The Tigers will activate RHP Anibal Sanchez from the disabled list to start Saturday's game. Sanchez has been on the DL since June 16 with a right shoulder strain. ... Before Friday's game, the Tigers recalled INF/OF Matt Tuiasosopo from his rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo and activated him off the disabled list. Tuiasosopo had been on the DL since June 20 with a strained left intercostal muscle. ... RHP Carlos Carrasco will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus and will start Saturday for the Indians. . . Indians DH Jason Giambi is 10 hits shy of 2,000 for his career.
