DETROIT – The one thing separating the Detroit Tigers from the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central is, well, the Tigers. Detroit has won six straight and 14 of 17 overall this season versus Cleveland to open a 7 1/2-game division lead entering the second contest of the three-game series against the visiting Indians on Saturday. Perhaps the one glimmer of hope for Cleveland is the health of Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera, who left each of the last two games due to an abdominal injury.
Cabrera, who leads the major leagues in batting average and RBIs and is second in homers, is listed as day-to-day but admitted he isn't feeling good and is unsure if he will wind up on the 15-day disabled list. Cleveland, which was swept by Detroit in a four-game series earlier this month, has scored only five runs during its four-game losing streak. The Indians, who are 4 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay for the second AL wild-card spot, attempted to bolster their offense on Friday with the acquisition of outfielder Jason Kubel from Arizona.