There’s hemlock, arsenic and Kryptonite.
Then there’s the Cleveland Indians.
For the Detroit Tigers, no poison is more potent. They proved as much when they lost to their AL Central Division rivals, 8-5, on Sunday at Comerica Park and extended their franchise-record losing streak to 20 games against Cleveland. They haven’t beaten the Indians since April 11, 2019.
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The Tigers were swept in the three-game series, lost their fifth straight and dropped to 9-10.
The Indians walloped five home runs, including two by designated hitter Franmil Reyes.
Right-hander Michael Fulmer, who was scheduled to pitch no more than three innings, lasted just 2⅔. He allowed three earned runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. All three runs came on home runs by Reyes and Francisco Lindor.
The Tigers never led, but they tied it twice.
They knotted it at 3-3 in the third when they scored three runs in the third inning on singles by Niko Goodrum and Miguel Cabrera.
In the fifth, the Tigers tied it at 4-4 on Cabrera’s single to center field. Cabrera entered the game 0-for-8 in the series. He went 2-for-4 with a walk.
Miggy’s milestone
Cabrera collected his third RBI of the game and 1,705th of his career in the fifth inning. That moved him past Frank Thomas alone into 22nd place on Major League Baseball’s all-time RBI list since 1920, when RBIs became an official statistic. Cabrera needs two more RBIs to tie Adrian Beltre for 21st place.
You’re outta here!
Where it was a series’ worth of frustration or something else, the Tigers had trouble keeping their cool Sunday. Manager Ron Gardenhire and outfielder Cameron Maybin were tossed in the third and after the fifth, respectively. It was Gardenhire’s first ejection of the season and the 85th of his career.
Long gone
The Indians’ five homers came off four Tigers pitchers: Fulmer, Tyler Alexander, John Schreiber and Carson Fulmer. And they weren’t cheap, either. Reyes’ homer off Carson Fulmer to center in the seventh inning was estimated at 453 feet.
Goodrum leaves game
Goodrum left the game with upper-back tightness after he struck out in the fourth inning.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Tigers content.