The Tigers won their eighth straight Saturday night as they beat the Indians 3-1. The Tribe got the pitching they were looking for but more squandered opportunities led to another defeat. Paul Byrd pitched seven innings of solid ball but the Tribe failed on a golden opportunity in the sixth. Aaron Boone led off with a double and Casey Blake was hit by a pitch but they both were stranded as Jhonny Peralta and Travis Hafner both struck out. In the eighth inning, the Indians had a runner on third with one out but could not bring him home. Casey Blake struck out on a fastball right down the middle and Jhonny Peralta grounded out. Magglio Ordonez homered in the first to give the Tigers the early lead, one that they would not relinquish. Hard-throwing Tiger starter Justin Verlander improved to 7-3 on the season, giving up the lone Indians run in seven innings.

And the beat goes on for the Tribe. Nothing can seem to go right for them these days. One day it’s the pitching, the next it’s non-clutch hitting. They now fall to 11.5 games behind the Tigers in the Central. They MUST salvage this series and avoid a sweep Sunday afternoon.