Tribe Trounces Tigers

David Justice and Jim Thome homered and Dave Burba continued his mastery over Detroit as the Cleveland Indians snapped the Tigers' four-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory Thursday night.

Burba (4-1), seeking his first decision in five starts since April 28, held the Tigers to four hits with five walks and seven strikeouts in 7 1-3 innings.

Burba, who was 3-0 against Detroit last season, improved to 6-0 lifetime against the Tigers.

Brian Moehler (1-3), making his second start since an emergency appendectomy April 22, gave up three runs on eight hits with no walks in 7 1-3 innings.

After Omar Vizquel grounded into a first-inning double play, Justice moved from sixth to third in the order in a lineup change just before the game homered into the right-field bullpen.

The game settled into a nice pitching duel between Burba and Moehler, who had allowed only seven hits between them until the seventh.

In the sixth, the Tigers had runners on first and second with one out after Burba walked two. But the threat fizzled when Bobby Higginson struck out and Gregg Jefferies was caught trying to steal third for an inning-ending double play.

Manny Ramirez started the two-run Cleveland seventh with a double and Thome followed with a long homer, his 13th, over the wall near the flagpole in left-center on a 3-0 pitch.

Ramirez tripled and scored on Richie Sexson's sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Burba gave up a single and a walk in the Detroit eighth and reliever Steve Karsay was greeted by Gregg Jefferies' RBI single. Karsay finished for his ninth save.

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