Drew Smyly acknowledged thinking about the possibility

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DETROIT -- Drew Smyly acknowledged thinking about the possibility of throwing a no-hitter. Ron-Robert Zieler Germany Jersey . When Yan Gomes broke up his bid with a two-out double in the fifth, Smyly shifted his focus to simply winning the game to help his team end a skid. Smyly allowed four hits and matched his career high by pitching seven innings, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians 5-1 Sunday to avoid avoided a four-game sweep. Smyly (6-8) noticed after two innings that he had held the Indians hitless. "If any pitcher says they dont notice it, theyre lying," he said. "You think about it." The left-hander ended up allowing only one run -- on Gomes seventh-inning homer -- walked two and struck out six. "They didnt see a lot of the same pitches back to back," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. Joba Chamberlain walked two in the eighth, and Joe Nathan pitched a perfect ninth in a non-save situation. The AL Central-leading Tigers (54-41) stopped a four-game losing streak and increased their lead over Cleveland to 5 1-2 games. "Its huge to come and get the win to end that little streak," Smyly said. "But thats baseball, youre going to go on a lot of hot streaks, youre going to go on some cold streaks and you just try to weather the storm." Josh Tomlin (5-7) allowed four runs, six hits and a walk over 4 1-3 innings. Cleveland (50-48) had reached a season-high three games over .500 by winning four in a row. "It was a great series for us," Tomlin said. "Took three games from them, but I came up short." Detroit gave Smyly some support offensively, scoring two runs in the first and two more on Torii Hunters drive deep into the left-field seats in fourth. Austin Jackson led off the first with a double and scored on Ian Kinslers single. Kinsler came home on Victor Martinezs sacrifice fly. Indians relievers C.C. Lee and Kyle Crockett stranded a total of five runners by combining to strike out the last two batters in the fifth and the sixth. Cleveland manager Terry Francona was pleased with his pitchers performances against Miguel Cabrera, who went 0 for 4, and Victor Martinez, who was 3 of 15 over the four-game series. "Those guys in the middle are pretty special," Francona said. "And, I thought we did a good job against them." Nick Castellanos hit an RBI double for a four-run lead in the eighth inning, taking some pressure off Nathan, who was greeted by the fans with a mix of cheers and boos after giving up a game-losing hit in Saturday nights loss. "I dont think it hurt that he got back out there," Ausmus said. NOTES: Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (8-8, 4.88) is to face Arizona LHP Vidal Nuno (0-1, 3.00) when Detroit begins a seven-game trip that continues against the Los Angeles Angels. ... Martinez played first base, giving Cabrera a day of relative rest as a designated hitter, and may play there while Cabrera moves to third for a game or two against the Diamondbacks. ... The Indians will stay on the road, expecting to put called-up LHP T.J. House (1-2, 4.40) on the mound against LHP Kris Johnson (0-1, 5.40) Monday night and called-up RHP Danny Salazar on Tuesday night at Minnesota. ... Detroit and Cleveland optioned the 26th players they had for Saturdays doubleheader, sending RHP Drew VerHagen to Triple-A Toledo and RHP Zach McAllister to Triple-A Columbus. ... Tigers owner Mike Ilitch attended the game on his 85th birthday. ... The Indians had won a season-best five straight on the road. ... Cleveland had won a season-best five straight on the road. Jerome Boateng Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, I love the column, keep up the good work! It doesnt make me more sympathetic to bad calls by the refs, but it sure explains a lot! On Tuesday, Zach Bogosian and Lars Eller just went off to the Sin Bin together - Bogosian for interference and Eller for embellishment. Thomas Muller World Cup Jersey .6 million deal on Monday night. Thorburn was set to become an unrestricted free agent at noon on Tuesday.GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Having dropped three consecutive games to Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee, No. 6 Florida had been waiting for a chance to end the losing streak. The Gators welcomed it and wanted it -- and it showed. Michael Frazier II scored 17 points, Scottie Wilbekin added 13 and Florida handled Tennessee 67-41 on Saturday for the teams 11th consecutive win. The Gators (17-2, 6-0 SEC) beat the Volunteers for the first time in nearly two years and extended their school record for consecutive home wins to 26. "We had a little chip on our shoulder because they kicked our butts the last three times," said Florida centre Patric Young, who added 10 points. "I can actually remember each loss, and the last one was the worst because they were on the court celebrating. They punched us, and we didnt respond well the last three years. "Tonight, we were so ready for whatever they had to throw at us. We were all locked in." Especially on the defensive end. Florida held the Volunteers (12-7, 3-3) to a season-low in points and shooting percentage (27). The Volunteers backcourt really struggled, with leading scorer Jordan McRae, Antonio Barton and Josh Richardson combining to make 2 of 29 shots. "They turned us over, they sped us up, they did a great job," Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin said. "We forced some shots, but you give that defence credit for doing that." Jarnell Stokes led Tennessee with 16 points and 10 rebounds -- his 10th double-double of the season. Stokes kept the Vols in the game early, but faded down the stretch. Jeronne Maymon chipped in eight points and seven boards. "This is just my observation, but I thought those guys, Stokes and Maymon, were so incredible on the backboard with their effort," Gators coach Billy Donovan said. "To offensive rebound and to chase balls like they did, they got worn down, they got tired and rightfully so. Those guys are carrying around a lot of weight and size and strength." The Gators led 26-19 at halftime and pulled away with a 21-5 run after the break. Wilbekins floater in the lane got things started, and Fraziers consecutive 3-pointers really opened it up. After Will Yeguetes dunk and Dorian Finney-Smiths conseecutive layups in transition, the Gators pulled ahead by 17 and looked really in rhythm. Toni Kroo Shirts. The only thing left at that point was to start making some highlight plays, and boy, they did. Kasey Hill hit a pull-up jumper. Young followed with a nifty, reverse post move and later got the sellout crowd rocking with a one-handed dunk on an alley-oop feed from Frazier. It was just what Florida had hoped for after the last three meetings. "Its a gift to be desperate," Donovan said. "I thought we played closer to our identity and our potential than we have before. I think the last two games we didnt do that. Its encouraging to me to see our guys come out with that kind of focus." Florida coasted from there, winning for the 16th time in its last 17 games. The only loss in that stretch was a buzzer-beating defeat at then-No. 12 Connecticut in early December. Florida shot 48 per cent from the field, including 5 of 16 from behind the arc. The Gators scored 38 points in the paint, made 10 of 13 free throws and finished with a season-low six turnovers. Stokes posed problems for Florida early. But Donovans full-court press gave McRae, Barton and Richardson fits. The Vols had just 13 turnovers, but they ended up taking countless ill-advised shots and had little, if anything, come easy. "It was our defence," Frazier said. "They couldnt score, which was the game plan for us, to lock down and guard on defence." The defensive gem helped Florida sweep its fifth straight Thursday-Saturday setup in conference play. This one came after the team was stuck in Tuscaloosa overnight Thursday because of mechanical plane issues. The Gators returned home around noon Friday and had to alter their practice schedule, but they showed no problems against Tennessee. Florida, which has lost in three straight regional finals in the NCAA tournament, is trying to build a resume that will get it a No. 1 seed and plenty of momentum for a season that started with high expectations. This was another solid win in the right direction. "I feel like for us seniors, its just a little bit more important for us knowing its our last go-around," Wilbekin said. "We have a different level of focus." cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '