Indians 2, Marlins 0
MIAMI -- The Cleveland Indians prepped for their crucial series against first-place Detroit by defeating the Miami Marlins 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at Marlins Park.
The second-place Indians have won 10 of their past 11 games. They will next play host to Detroit for four games, starting Monday.
Indians starter Scott Kazmir (7-4) got the win, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing two hits and two walks. He struck out seven and never faced much trouble beyond Ed Lucas' one-out double in the first inning. No one else reached second base against Kazmir.
Bryan Shaw and Joe Smith both pitched an inning in relief. And Chris Perez worked a perfect ninth to pick up his 17th save and his second in two days in Miami, where he pitched in college.
Perez was helped by a diving catch by center fielder Michael Bourn.
Marlins starter Nate Eovaldi (2-2) took the loss despite allowing one run in seven innings. He escaped trouble in the seventh when the Indians put runners on second and third with one out. Eovaldi got pinch-hitter Jason Giambi to pop out and Bourn to fly out to end the threat.
Eovaldi pitched well enough to win, but for the fourth straight start received no run support.
The Indians scored the game's first run in the second inning when Yan Gomes reached on an infield single, advanced to third when Mark Reynolds doubled off the fence in left and scored on Lonnie Chisenhall's single to center.
Gomes, making his first start of the series, was playing in front of a home crowd -- he went to Miami's Southridge High and Barry University -- and he picked Jeff Mathis off first base in the third inning.
The Indians made it 2-0 in eighth when Mike Aviles doubled against reliever Chad Qualls and scored on a two-out single by Michael Brantley.
NOTES: Qualls has now faced every team in the big leagues. ... The Indians rested three of Saturday's starters -- C Carlos Santana, 1B Nick Swisher and SS Asdrubal Cabrera. They were replaced by Gomes, Reynolds and Aviles. ... Marlins pitchers have gone 12 straight games without allowing a homer, a club record. Since 1990, the only other team to have a homerless streak of at least 12 games was the Atlanta Braves, who did it twice in 1998. ... Against Detroit, the Indians will throw Corey Kluber, Justin Masterson, Danny Salazar and Zach McAllister. The Tigers will counter with Anibal Sanchez, Justin Verlander, Doug Fister and Max Scherzer. ... Ubaldo Jimenez was originally set to start Wednesday, but the Indians pushed him back to Friday because of his poor record against Detroit this year (1-2, 6.92) and a rocky start on Friday against the Marlins. In his place, the Indians will call up Salazar, 23, who threw five no-hit innings in Triple-A on Friday. He was 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in one start with Cleveland in July. ... The Marlins start a three-game series in Pittsburgh on Tuesday against the Pirates, who are in first place in a tight National League Central race. The last-place Marlins will try to play spoiler, especially Thursday, when their ace, Jose Fernandez, takes the mound. ... The Indians' six steals on Saturday were their most since 2000 at Boston. It also tied a club record for the most the Marlins have ever allowed. ... With Jeff Mathis instead of Rob Brantly catching Sunday, the Indians were held without a steal.
