The Indians will wrap up this seven-game walk through fire on Sunday night when they try to not only win the rubber game against the Rangers, but to finish the road trip that began in Boston with a winning record.
Josh Tomlin will try to win for the first time since July 15 when he takes on Texas for the first time in his career.
Tomlin (11-5, 4.16 ERA) gave up five runs in six innings in his last start, against the Red Sox last Monday in a 9-6 Cleveland win, but got a no-decision. In three starts since he beat the Orioles for his last victory, Tomlin has pitched 20 innings and given up 11 runs, but with an outing at hitting-friendly Fenway in there, that number is a little skewed.
Of course, the Rangers’ home digs are also hitter-friendly.
Texas will send Colby Lewis (10-8, 4.14 ERA) against the Tribe. Lewis has never lost to the Indians, going 2-0 in four appearances and three starts vs. Cleveland, but with a high 6.89 ERA in 15.2 frames of work.
This will be Lewis’s first outing against The Good Guys in 2011.
Lewis gave up 10 hits in only four innings vs. the Tigers in his last start, along with four earned runs, but was not involved in the decision in a 6-5 Detroit victory.
After this game, the Indians will be off tomorrow after playing for ten straight days, before getting back into action on Tuesday evening when the first-place Tigers come to town to begin a three-game set.
Detroit leads the Tribe by three games going into Sunday’s action, and will be finishing their series with the Royals in Kansas City in an afternoon contest.