Max Scherzer is still 13-0.
More importantly, the Tigers are now 49-39 and lead the Cleveland Indians by 3 1/2 games in the American League Central.
"I think this was probably our best win of the season," Scherzer said, not worrying about his own record. "They brought their A-game, and so did we, and we got it in the end. This is a great one."
Scherzer left after seven innings with the score tied at 2, and Victor Martinez hit a two-run double in the top of the 10th to give the Tigers a rare extra-innings victory. Detroit went into the night with a 2-9 record in extra-innings games, while Cleveland was a perfect 5-0, but Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder drew two-out walks before Martinez hit a line drive over Michael Bourn's head in centerfield.
The double was Martinez's second of the night, as he continues to hit like the player who finished the 2011 season with a .330 batting average and 103 RBIs. Martinez now has a 10-game hitting streak, and he is hitting .323 with 13 RBIs in 16 games since June 22.
"I definitely feel much better at the plate than I did early in the season," Martinez told FOX Sports Detroit's Mickey York during one of the night's many rain showers. "But there's still a lot of work to do and a lot of season to play. Have to keep going."
Scherzer wasn't in prime form, allowing seven hits and three walks in seven innings, but he only made one big mistake. In the second inning, Cleveland had a pair of runners on with two out and Lonnie Chisenhall at the plate. With the rain at its heaviest of the night, Scherzer missed the plate with a 99-mph fastball, then reacted with disgust when second-base umpire Joe West called in the Progressive Field grounds crew.
"I was yelling at Joe to let me keep going, because the rain wasn't bothering me at all," Scherzer said. "It was coming down hard, but I was OK with it."
The delay was brief -- the game resumed in lighter rain 20 minutes later -- but Chisenhall lined Scherzer's first pitch into right for a two-run single. Cleveland had tried a little bit of gamesmanship, starting the game at its scheduled time even thought it was clear that rain would be moving into the area. If they had been hoping to shorten Scherzer's night, the plan backfired when the umpires started the game again instead of waiting for the rain to stop.
"I thought the Cleveland grounds crew did a great job with the field, and the umpires got us back there and playing," Jim Leyland said. "
The Indians loaded the bases in the third, but Mike Aviles hit a soft grounder back to Scherzer for the final out, and Scherzer got Aviles again to end the fifth with two runners on base.
"They got to me the one time, but I was able to finish strong," he said. "I always feel like you can tell how your outing went by your last few pitches. I was feeling really good at the end, and the bullpen finished it off for us."
Joaquin Benoit had a tough bottom of the 10th, only escaping without a run because Nick Swisher wiped out rounding third on the wet grass. The Indians got the winning run to the plate before Benoit ended it by striking out -- who else? -- Aviles.
"I think I got a little help out there, because someone made the runners fall down out there," said Benoit, who now has a career-best seven saves.
The pratfall was Swisher's second of the night. In the eighth inning, he didn't run on a foul dribbler down the third-base line. The mud-covered ball veered back into fair territory as it came to a stop, and an alert Brayan Pena picked it up, raced back to the plate and tagged Swisher, who hadn't even been watching. Swisher, still holding his bat, had to turn back to the plate and ask home-plate umpire Andy Fletcher what had happened.
The excitable Pena, who also hustled to take part in a rundown between first and second base, said that he hoped those plays made up for a key passed ball in the ninth inning that put speedy Drew Stubbs on second as the winning run with no one out. Drew Smyly pitched out of the jam.
"I'm so sorry to my team and our fans for making that mistake," he said. "I have to keep that ball ahead of me in that spot, and I let everyone down. I wanted to make a big play because I had made a big mistake."
Pena, of course, had long been forgiven for his teammates, who were just happy to be going home at the end of a 11-game road trip. Detroit finished 7-4 in Tampa, Toronto and Cleveland, and now make the short trip across Lake Erie to host the White Sox on Tuesday night.
