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DET@KC: Anibal throws seven frames of one-run ball

If Indians right-hander Corey Kluber's record is going to catch up to his recent ERA on Monday against the Tigers, he's got his work cut out for him against one of the toughest teams in the league.

Detroit, which is coming off a series sweep of the White Sox at Comerica Park this weekend to move into a first-place tie, welcomes the Indians to their friendly confines on Monday for the start of a three-game series.

The Tigers entered Sunday night with a stellar 42-26 mark at home and are 25-6 at Comerica Park since July 4, but are just 5-7 overall against the Tribe this year.

Kluber, looking for his first career victory in what will be his seventh start of the season, has been steadily lowering his season ERA thanks to a 2.25 mark over his last three outings.

He gave up three earned runs on six hits in six innings in his last start against the red-hot A's. The righty also struck out seven without walking a batter, but was hurt by a Josh Donaldson home run.

"I'm very encouraged by the way he threw the ball," Indians manager Manny Acta said after that game. "The only mistake that he made was that he hung that slider on 3-2 for the three-run homer."

For Detroit, which is looking to stay atop the American League Central, it'll be Anibal Sanchez looking to build off his best outing in a Tigers uniform.

His last time out, Sanchez went seven strong while allowing just one run on seven hits. Still, he was out-dueled by Bruce Chen in a frustrating ballgame for the Tigers that was part of a three-game sweep at the hands of the Royals.

"I thought he mixed well," Tigers skipper Jim Leyland said. "I thought his velocity was good. He picked up a little extra when he needed it. As the game went on, he got the ball down better. They hit a couple balls hard early, but then he settled in. He really showed me something his last inning out there. That was quite a few pitches for him. ... And he was up to the challenge."

Tigers: One day at a time
• Leyland wasn't interested in talking about the significance of any of the weekend games against co-division leader Chicago, even though Detroit pulled into a tie atop the AL Central with the Sunday night victory.

"This is not like a Super Bowl where you play one game," Leyland said. "We've got a lot of games [left]. Win or lose this game tonight against the White Sox, we've got to win a lot of games the rest of the way out. And I'm sure they feel the same way. This is not one and done."

• After Sunday's game, Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera is hitting .351 (139-for-396) with 30 doubles, 26 home runs and 89 RBIs over his past 102 games, dating back to May 10.

• Andy Dirks is expected to be back in the lineup Monday after missing two games because of left-handed pitching.

Indians: Santana leading the way
• Catcher Carlos Santana has been one of Cleveland's few bright spots since the All-Star break, hitting .286 (47-for-164) with a team-leading 31 RBIs.

• The Indians are heading out on a 10-game, three-city road trip that includes stops in Detroit, Minnesota and Texas. The Tribe went 1-8 on its last road trip that included games against the Angels, A's and Mariners.

Worth noting
• After their Sunday afternoon loss to the Rangers, the Indians fell to 17 games back of the White Sox in the AL Central. Their season-high deficit in the division is 17 1/2 games.

• Monday's 1:05 p.m. ET game will be a quick turnaround for Detroit, which had an 8 p.m. ET first pitch on Sunday night against the White Sox due to a nationally-televised time slot.

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