CLEVELAND (AP) — All-Star Andrés Giménez belted a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning, lifting the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians to a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a doubleheader Monday.
Giménez connected off Andrew Chafin with two outs, scoring Myles Straw and Amed Rosario to break a 1-all tie. It was his 13th home run of the season and completed a 3-for-4 performance at the plate.
“I just tried to stay focused and get a good pitch to hit,” said Giménez, who is batting .313 and has 54 RBIs. “I recognized the slider soon enough.”
The Guardians are 8-1 since Aug. 6, moving them a season-high nine games over .500. They held Detroit without a hit after the third inning, increasing their division lead to three games over Minnesota, which played later Monday.
James Karinchak (1-0) worked one scoreless inning for the win and Emmanuel Clase pitched a perfect ninth for his 27th save.
“Everybody pitched good and it was a good day to pitch,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “There were some balls hit on both sides that were pretty good, but didn’t leave the ballpark because of the wind.”
Tigers reliever Will Vest (3-3) allowed two runs in one inning, permitting Straw and Rosario to reach base in the seventh.
Detroit has lost eight in a row, 11 of its last 12 and 14 of 16 since July 30. The Tigers, who fired general manager Al Avila last week, are a season-worst 31 games below .500.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first when Riley Greene led off with a single and scored on a grounder by Harold Castro. All-Star José Ramírez tied it for the Guardians in the fifth with a single that scored Straw for his 94th RBI.
Cleveland right-hander Aaron Civale struck out a season-high 10 batters over six innings in his second start since…