Tigers topple Indians 8-6

DETROIT (AP) Miguel Cabrera is continuing his hot start against the Cleveland Indians in April.

Cabrera homered and drove in three runs and the Detroit Tigers beat the Indians 8-6 on Sunday.

Cabrera has three homers this season, all against Cleveland, and nine of his 13 RBIs this season are against the Indians. He is batting .377 for the season.

''I know they don't like facing him,'' Tigers starter Kyle Lobstein said. ''They walk him a lot, and that means the rest of our guys get to see better pitches. That helps everyone.''

Lobstein (2-1) picked up the win, allowing three runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out four and kept the Indians from scoring more than one run in any inning.

''The last time I faced these guys, I didn't have fastball command,'' he said. ''It felt better today, and I think I was able to keep them off balance with it.''

Joakim Soria pitched the ninth for his seventh save. Soria allowed a leadoff homer to David Murphy, but finished the inning without further damage.

Soria got some help from Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias, who made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch to rob Mike Aviles of a base hit.

''He's not normal,'' second baseman Ian Kinsler said. ''At first, I thought he had time to get under it or (Yoenis) Cespedes would get it, and then he just rips it out of the air. I was covering second going `What the heck just happened?'''

Carlos Carrasco (2-2) took the loss for Cleveland, giving up five runs and nine hits and two walks in 4 1-3 innings.

The Tigers scored two runs in the first after Rajai Davis led off the inning with a triple. Kinsler drove him home with a single and scored on Victor Martinez's sacrifice fly.

Former Tiger Ryan Raburn made it 2-1 in the second with an RBI double, but was thrown out going for third. The Indians challenged the call, but it was upheld after a lengthy delay.

''I've seen the replay again, and I think he was probably safe, but I understand why they didn't overturn it,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''If they had originally called him safe, they would have probably stuck with that, too. It was just too close.''

J.D. Martinez hit into a run-scoring double play in the third, but Brandon Moss pulled Cleveland within 3-2 with a RBI single in the fourth.

Francona decided to walk Victor Martinez and load the bases for J.D. Martinez in the fifth, but the move backfired when Martinez hit a two-run double to make it 5-2. Cabrera added a two-run homer in the sixth.

''I had a chance to get a double play against (J.D.) Martinez, but I got behind in the count, and when I tried to get a strike, he hit it,'' Carrasco said.

Michael Bourn, batting ninth for the first time in his career, beat out a double-play grounder in the seventh to make it 7-3, but the Indians still couldn't get a rally going against Lobstein.

Angel Nesbitt replaced Lobstein in the eighth, and gave up three straight singles to let the Indians cut the lead to 7-4. Nesbitt got one out before being replaced by Blaine Hardy. Moss hit a sacrifice fly, giving him nine RBIs in the three-game series, but Hardy got out of the inning with a two-run lead.

Cabrera's eighth-inning sacrifice fly gave the Tigers an 8-5 lead.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Indians: After being a late scratch on Saturday, RHP Trevor Bauer (food poisoning) said he had gotten fluids on Sunday and is ''hopeful'' of being able to make his rescheduled start on Tuesday. ... C Yan Gomes (knee) is traveling with the team and says that his rehabilitation from an early season knee injury is going well. He is expected to return in late May.

Tigers: RHP Bruce Rondon, still recovering after Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2014, threw 20 fastballs and five changeups on Saturday. He was going to rest his arm on Sunday, and if all goes well, throw a 30-pitch bullpen on Monday that includes 20 fastballs, five changeups and five curveballs. ... Davis left the game in the eighth with tightness in his groin after pulling up while running out a single.

UP NEXT

Indians: Cleveland heads home, where it has only played five times this season. Corey Kluber (0-2, 3.90) faces Jason Vargas (1-1, 6.75) in the opener, which starts at 6:10 as the Indians experiment with earlier starts for weekday games.

Tigers: After a 10-day homestand, the Tigers leave for a 10-game road trip that starts Monday in Minnesota. David Price (1-1, 3.28) starts the opener against Tommy Millone (2-0, 2.38). The Tigers also visit Kansas City and Chicago on the trip.