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Nick Castellanos helps Detroit Tigers snap 11-game skid vs. Cleveland Indians

By Jim Ingraham, The Sports Xchange
Detroit Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos (9) is congratulated by teammate Miguel Cabrera after Castellanos hit a two-run home run in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on May 9, 2016. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Detroit Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos (9) is congratulated by teammate Miguel Cabrera after Castellanos hit a two-run home run in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on May 9, 2016. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

CLEVELAND -- All bad things must come to an end, and a really bad one came to a halt on Wednesday for the Detroit Tigers.

Nick Castellanos homered among his three hits and had five RBIs as the Tigers cruised to a 12-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.

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With the win, Detroit snapped its 11-game losing streak to Cleveland - with all 11 setbacks coming in 2016. Cleveland also saw its 14-game home winning streak end as Wednesday's loss was the Indians' first at Progressive Field since a 7-3 setback to Texas on May 31.

Cameron Maybin also homered for the Tigers, who are 5-2 in the first seven contests of an 11-game road trip to Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Toronto.

"It's like a weight has been taken off our shoulders, to beat the Indians after 11 straight losses to them," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said.

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Michael Fulmer (9-2) pitched six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Castellanos had a three-run home run in the fifth inning and a two-run double in the seventh.

"Better late than never," Castellanos said of the Tigers finally breaking into the win column against Cleveland.

Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin (9-2) retired the first nine batters he faced in the game and then couldn't get anyone out. Tomlin gave up eight runs and seven hits, including two home runs, in his last 1 2/3 innings.

"I didn't do a good job of limiting the damage in those two innings," Tomlin said.

"The first three innings it was one, two, three. One, two, three. One, two three. Josh was really good, but after that they made him work," Indians manager Terry Francona said.

The Indians had an early 2-0 lead then saw the Tigers score 12 unanswered runs. The Indians scored single runs in the second and third innings on sacrifice flies by Lonnie Chisenhall and Francisco Lindor.

But that was it for the Indians, who were held to two runs after outscoring Detroit 77-24 in the initial 11 meetings.

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Trailing 2-0, the Tigers blew it open in the fourth and fifth innings when they sent a combined 15 men to the plate and eight of them scored. In the fourth, Ian Kinsler led off with a single and Maybin bounced a fly ball off the left-field foul pole for a two-run home run to tie the game.

"It was a bad pitch. I was hoping it would hook foul, but it didn't," Tomlin said.

"That was a huge hit for us because we have been trailing these guys a bunch, and that hit got it tied," Kinsler said.

Tomlin retired Miguel Cabrera on a fly out, but Victor Martinez doubled off the center-field wall. Martinez went to third on a single by Castellanos, and Martinez scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Upton, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

In the fifth inning Tomlin struck out the first two batters he faced, but then the Tigers went to work. Kinsler reached on an infield single and Maybin walked. Cabrera lined a long single off the right field wall, scoring Kinsler and Maybin and extending the lead to 5-2.

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Lindor, Cleveland's All-Star shortstop, then booted a grounder hit by Martinez for an error.

"Giving that lineup extra chances didn't help," Francona said.

Castellanos hit Tomlin's next - and last - pitch over the wall in center field for a three-run home run.

"That was the big blow of the game because it opened it up," Ausmus said. "Nick has been doing that the whole first half. He's a big part of our offense."

Asked if he thought his home run, which gave the Tigers an 8-2 lead, was the dagger, Castellanos said, "No. There is no dagger with Cleveland. Those guys beat us 11 times in a row. The dagger was the double play that ended the game."

The Tigers added four more runs in the seventh inning, two coming on a double by Castellanos. Castellanos did not play in Tuesday's game due to flu-like symptoms, but went 5-for-9 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs in the series.

NOTES: The Tigers recalled RHP Bobby Parnell from Triple-A Toledo. In 30 relief appearances with Toledo, Parnell had no decisions and a 3.07 ERA. Parnell replaces RHP Buck Farmer, who was optioned to Toledo. ... 1B Miguel Cabrera's All-Star selection was his seventh as a member of the Tigers. That ties Cabrera with Jim Bunning for the fourth-most All-Star selections in Tigers history. Cabrera is the first Detroit position player to go to seven consecutive All-Star games since C Bill Freehan went to 10 straight from 1964-73. ... Cleveland's 14-game home winning streak was the longest home winning streak by any team in the American League since the Indians won 14 games in a row at home in April and May of 2011. ... Indians 3B Juan Uribe's next home run will be the 200th of his career.

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