DETROIT 8, CLEVELAND 6

DETROIT (AP) -- Cody Ross hit a grand slam for his first major

league home run then needed to be carted off the field with an

apparent knee injury in the eighth inning, and the Detroit Tigers

beat the Cleveland Indians 8-6 Tuesday night.

Dmitri Young hit a tiebreaking homer in the fifth as the Tigers

won their 35th game of the season. Detroit needs to need to go at

least 8-17 the rest of the way to avoid matching the 1962 New York

Mets' record of 120 losses in a season.

Ross was injured when he tripped over first base in the eighth,

beating out a sacrifice on Cleveland reliever Jack Cressend's

throwing error. Ross was writhing in pain, holding both knees while

Tigers personnel attended to him. He was taken off the field on a

flatbed cart.

The teams combined for six home runs.

Brian Schmack (1-0) pitched 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief

for his first big league win.

Fernando Rodney struck out four of the six batters he faced for

his first career save.

Jody Gerut put Cleveland ahead 2-0 in the first with a two-run

homer. His line drive just inside the right-field foul pole scored

Coco Crisp, who led off with a single. It was the rookie's 19th

homer.

Detroit tied it with two outs in the second. Carlos Pena hit his

16th home run of the season, just inside the right-field foul pole

to make it 2-1. Shane Halter followed with a walk and moved to

second on a wild pitch by Cliff Lee. Brandon Inge then looped a

single to right to score Halter.

Ross gave the Tigers a 6-2 lead in the third with his grand

slam. Detroit loaded the bases with two walks -- one intentional --

and two Cleveland errors.

Ben Petrick led off with a walk. Danny Klassen then attempted a

sacrifice. Lee had a play on Petrick at second, but made a bad-hop

throw to shortstop Omar Vizquel for an error. Craig Monroe then hit

a routine double-play grounder to third baseman Casey Blake, who

threw to second baseman Brandon Phillips. Phillips missed touching

second for an error, but made the relay to first for an out. Young

was intentionally walked and Ross followed with his drive into the

right-field bullpen on an 0-2 pitch.

The Indians tied it 6-all in the fourth on two-run homers by Ben

Broussard and Phillips.

Young homered off Chad Durbin (0-1) in the fifth -- his 28th -- to

give the Tigers a 7-6 lead. Pinch-hitter Warren Morris made it 8-6

with a single in the eighth.

The Indians had runners on first and third with none out in the

eighth. But Rodney came in to strike out Phillips and Crisp and get

Vizquel to pop to short after falling behind 3-0 to Phillips.Game notes
Detroit's Bobby Higginson began his two-game suspension

stemming from an Aug. 10 ejection against Minnesota. Higginson

originally decided to appeal the suspension, but later dropped it.

... Gerut has 27 RBI in 16 games against Detroit this season. ...

Ross is the first Tigers player to hit a grand slam for his first

major league homer since Milt Cuyler on May 19,1991. He's the fifth

in the majors this season. The last was Seattle's Willie Bloomquist

on July 13. ... It was Broussard's third home run in two games.