Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor had plenty of reasons to flash his prominent smile Tuesday. On the same night the Tribe shortstop was named a first-time All-Star, he played a key role in his team’s 12-1 win over the Tigers at Progressive Field.
“It means pretty much everything,” Lindor said of his selection. “I thank the Indians. I thank them because of the opportunity they gave me in 2011, when I wasn’t even expecting them to call my name. It’s huge. The Wahoo I wear on my hat, he smiles a lot. I smile a lot, too.”
In the series-clinching victory, Lindor flashed his wizardry on the defensive end and delivered a cushioning RBI double in the fifth. Cleveland is now undefeated in 11 meetings with Detroit this season and has won 13 straight home games. The Tigers have been outscored 77-24 by the Indians.
“Other than the fact that they’ve beaten us 11 straight games, there’s nothing baffling. They’ve outplayed us,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “There’s nothing baffling about that. It’s not like we haven’t played good baseball. They’ve just played better. Tonight, they pitched better, they hit better. It’s simple.”
Tribe starter Carlos Carrasco did his part in silencing the Tigers’ offensive attack, tossing six innings of one-run ball. After allowing a pair of second-inning singles, Carrasco buckled down and did not surrender another hit until the sixth.
Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez was thrust back into a starting role after an injury to Jordan Zimmermann. Sanchez was chased after 4 1/3 innings, during which he allowed seven runs on five hits. He is now 0-4 in four starts against Cleveland, having allowed 21 runs (19 earned) on 23 hits across 18 2/3 innings.
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