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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
DETROIT (AP) -- Things are going so badly for the Cleveland
Indians that Dave Burba can't even beat a team he always mastered
in the past.
Burba gave up four home runs in his first career loss to Detroit
and the Indians dropped their fifth straight, 5-2 to the Detroit
Tigers on Friday night.
The defeat dropped Cleveland 6½ games behind first-place Chicago
in the AL Central after the White Sox beat the New York Yankees 3-1
for their fifth straight win.
"We're in a bad period, but we can't worry about the White
Sox," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. "We have to just go
out and win the next game. But we definitely can turn this
around."
Cleveland hasn't been this far out of first place since
finishing 19 games behind Toronto in 1993.
"Is it still early?" the Indians' David Justice asked out
loud. "At some point it ain't going to be early. Nobody's
slacking. We're just not getting any victories."
Bobby Higginson and Juan Gonzalez hit consecutive homers in the
third inning, Tony Clark added a two-run drive in the fifth and
Dean Palmer hit a solo shot in the seventh for the Tigers.
Travis Fryman and Justice hit solo home runs for the Indians.
All of the game's runs scored on the six home runs, a one-game
high in spacious Comerica Park.
"The ball's definitely carrying better," Tigers manager Phil
Garner said. "You still have to hit the ball good. There won't be
many cheap home runs here."
Palmer said the difference between now and earlier in the season
at the Tigers' new home is "like night and day."
"Ever since it got humid the ball seems to be jumping," Palmer
said.
Detroit has won three of four from the Indians in Comerica Park
this season. Before the game, the Indians held a clubhouse meeting.
"There were little things that some people thought needed to be
said," Burba said. "They said them, and it's no big deal. I don't
think anybody's panicking."
Burba (7-2) had won six straight decisions overall. He was 6-0
with a 3.39 ERA in his career against the Tigers before they tagged
him.
Burba allowed four home runs in a game for the second time in
his career. He had allowed only seven homers in his previous 72 1/3
innings this season.
"Tonight compared to the last few times we faced him we did a
lot better job of being selective and laying off his offspeed
stuff," Palmer said. "We did a good job of being patient and
making him come in with the fastball."
Burba struck out six in 6 2/3 innings. He fanned Palmer in the
fifth for his 1,000th career strikeout.
"It wasn't a good night for him," Manuel said. "We didn't
score any runs for him. He made some good pitches, but he made two
mistakes."
Brian Moehler (4-3) won his third straight decision, giving up
two runs on five hits in six innings.
Danny Patterson, Doug Brocail and Todd Jones each pitched a
scoreless inning, with Jones finishing for his AL-leading 19th save
in 20 chances. Brocail got Jim Thome on a called third strike with
two on and two out in the eighth.
"I have no worry about the game when those guys come in,"
Moehler said. "Patterson's got one of the best sinkers I've seen,
and Brocail and Jones are two of the best there are."
Fryman led off the second with his 14th home run.
Higginson answered with his 10th homer in the third. Gonzalez
followed with his 11th home run, an estimated 450-foot drive to
left-center field.
Clark, who struck out with the bases loaded in the first and had
only two hits in his first 13 at-bats since returning from the
disabled list, hit a two-run homer in the fifth. It was his fifth
of the season and first since May 8.
Justice lined a two-out solo homer, his 19th, into the
right-field bullpen in the sixth. Palmer answered with an
opposite-field drive to right in the seventh, his 14th.
Game notes
The Indians signed free agent RHP Jamie Navarro for their
injury-riddled staff, and he's scheduled to start Sunday's series
finale against the Tigers. Navarro was 0-5 with a 12.54 ERA for
Milwaukee, which released him April 30. ... Higginson and Gonzalez
hit back-to-back homers for the second time this week. They also
did it Tuesday during a 16-4 rout of Toronto. ... Indians C Sandy
Alomar was scratched from the starting lineup, but the club said it
was not because of injury. ... Gonzalez threw out Omar Vizquel at
the plate as he tried to score from second on Thome's two-out
single to right in the first.
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Cleveland Clubhouse
Detroit Clubhouse
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