Eric Munson and Omar Infante each hit two-run homers and Detroit’s bullpen stayed busy all night Thursday, leading the Tigers to a 6-4 win over the Cleveland Indians.
Tigers starter Gary Knotts, who hasn’t won in 13 appearances — five starts — since July 9, was leading 5-3 and was one out from being the pitcher of record when Detroit manager Alan Trammell pulled him in the fifth for Steve Colyer.
Trammell wasn’t done making moves, either. He used four more relievers after Colyer, including Jamie Walker (3-4), who pitched two innings, and Esteban Yan, who worked the ninth for his fourth save.
Yan took over the closer’s role when Ugueth Urbina left the Tigers following his mother’s kidnapping in Venezuela on Sept. 1. The right-hander has two saves in three tries since replacing Urbina.
Munson homered in the second off C.C. Sabathia (11-10) and Infante connected in Detroit’s three-run fifth.
Nook Logan’s RBI triple in the ninth gave the Tigers a big insurance run and a 6-4 lead.
Travis Hafner homered for the Indians, who have lost 20 of 28.
After pulling Knotts, Trammell matched up with Indians hitters and manager Eric Wedge as if it was the postseason. He used Roberto Novoa and Walker to get through the sixth, when the Indians closed to 5-4 on Coco Crisp’s run-scoring single.
Cleveland put the tying run on third an inning later — Matt Lawton led off with a sinking liner that right fielder Craig Monroe let get past him for a two-base error.
Walker, though, got two groundouts and a strikeout to preserve Detroit’s lead.
Al Levine retired the only batter he faced in the eighth before Yan, who blew a save Wednesday night, retired the side in order. Yan has blown eight save chances this season.
Consecutive doubles by Munson and rookie Ryan Raburn — his first major league hit and RBI — gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead in the fifth. Raburn moved up on a sacrifice before Infante ripped a full-count pitch from Sabathia over the wall in left for his 13th homer, putting Detroit up by three.
Victor Martinez’s two-out RBI double off Knotts pulled Cleveland to 5-3 in the fifth, but Colyer got Hafner on a groundout.
The Indians tied it at two in the fourth on Hafner’s two-out homer, his 28th, and Ben Broussard’s RBI double.
Munson, who was ejected in the first inning of Wednesday’s game for arguing while he was in the dugout, staked the Tigers to a 2-0 lead in the second.
Marcus Thames drew a two-out walk from Sabathia and Munson followed with his 18th homer.
