Cleveland at Detroit

Detroit is making a strong claim to ownership of the AL Central lead. In a critical series, they have won two straight and I like their chances at the sweep here, delivering a crushing blow to the Indians' hopes. Cleveland turns to Ubaldo Jimenez who simply hasn't been anywhere near as good as he was last season with the Rockies. Jimenez is just 7-9 on the season and over his last three starts, he's got a 6.11 ERA. His record the past three years in late-season play vs. winning teams? 1-9. Against division opponents this season, the Tigers are 29-18, averaging 4.7 runs per game. Over their last seven games, they are getting 6.1 per game. Meanwhile, Cleveland has struggled all season long in day games, getting only 3.8 runs per game on way to a 13-20 record. Jimenez is just 1-7 in day games this season. Take Detroit in this one.