DETROIT – Armando Galarraga continued his season-long dominance of the Cleveland Indians, pitching seven shutout innings to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 6-0 victory Friday night.
Galarraga, facing the Indians for the first time since his near-perfect game on June 2, started just as quickly this time. He retired the first 14 Cleveland hitters before Jayson Nix's double just over the glove of left fielder Don Kelly.
Until that point, Galarraga had retired 41 of the 42 Indians hitters he had faced this season. The only one to reach base had been Jason Donald, who was mistakenly called safe by first-base umpire Jim Joyce on what would have been the 27th out of Galarraga's perfect game.
After the hit, Galarraga (4-5) received a loud ovation from the crowd of 33,936. He finished by allowing three hits and matched a career high with eight strikeouts. He went 1-4 with a 5.12 ERA in 12 starts between the two outings against Cleveland.
While Galarraga was frustrating the Indians again, the Tigers offense was ending a three-game losing streak by beating up Cleveland starter Justin Masterson.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first when catcher Lou Marson threw away Will Rhymes' sacrifice-bunt attempt, allowing Austin Jackson to score from second, and doubled the lead later in the inning on Miguel Cabrera's RBI single.
Gerald Laird and Jackson made it 4-0 with RBI singles in the second inning, and Rhymes made it a five-run game with a run-scoring base hit in the fourth.
Masterson (4-12) dropped to 1-4 in his last nine starts, allowing five runs on 11 hits and a walk in six innings. Masterson has now given up at least 10 hits four times this season, tied for fifth in the major leagues.
Don Kelly finished with a career-best four hits, finishing with an RBI double off Hector Ambriz in the eighth.
NOTES: Tigers RF Magglio Ordonez, who has been sidelined since fractured his right ankle on July 24, had his cast removed Friday. He is now wearing a removable boot, but is still on crutches. ... Before the game, the Tigers optioned reliever Robbie Weinhardt to Triple-A Toledo on Friday and recalled relief pitcher Alfredo Figaro. Weinhardt was 1-1 with a 9.17 ERA in 18 appearances this season and allowed three runs while only getting one out Thursday against the Yankees. ... Five of Cleveland's hitters in the June 2 game against Galarraga are no longer with the team. One of them, Jhonny Peralta, started at shortstop for the Tigers on Friday.
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