Detroit Tigers' Doug Fister Pitches Complete Game, Takes Team Past Fading Cleveland Indians For 6-1 Win

DETROIT -- Doug Fister retired his first 17 batters and then settled for a four-hitter in the Detroit Tigers' 6-1 victory over the fading Cleveland Indians on Saturday night.

Fister's bid for a perfect game was broken up with two outs in the sixth inning when Ezequiel Carrera tripled over Austin Jackson's head in center field. Fister (6-7) finished with six strikeouts but lost his chance at his first career shutout when Carrera tripled again in the ninth and scored on a groundout.

Ubaldo Jimenez (8-11) allowed six runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings for the Indians, who have lost eight consecutive games. It's their longest skid since dropping 11 straight in September 2009.

Brennan Boesch and Jhonny Peralta each hit a double and a triple for the Tigers.

It was Fister's first complete game since July 2 last season, when he was with Seattle.

The right-hander went down in his first start of 2012 with a strain on his left side, and he's only recently looked sharp on a consistent basis. This was his fifth straight quality start.

Boesch hit an RBI triple in the second and scored on Delmon Young's sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Peralta hit a two-run triple in the fourth and scored on Omar Infante's single.

Infante added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

The Indians have lost the first two games of the series by a combined 16-3.

The game was delayed for 37 minutes in the second inning when rain began coming down in sheets. For a little while, it was pretty much impossible to see the Detroit skyline beyond right field.

There was more rain possibly on the way, but Fister worked quickly and the game finished with no further delays. He threw 107 pitches and the game took 2 hours, 19 minutes – not counting the stoppage.

Carrera's first triple sailed over the head of Jackson, who has run down his share of deep fly balls at Comerica Park but couldn't reach this one.

NOTES: Former Detroit INF Carlos Guillen was honored before the game by the Tigers and threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Guillen announced his retirement in March. ... Cleveland DH Travis Hafner was activated from the paternity list before the game, but he sat out because of back trouble. ... Detroit will try for a sweep Sunday when RHP Max Scherzer (10-6) takes the mound against LHP Chris Seddon. It will be Seddon's first big league appearance since October 2010.

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