CLEVELAND — Go figure. For seven games, the Indians couldn’t score more than three runs in the entire contest. Then they do it in one inning against one of the best pitchers in baseball.

A four-run rally against superstar Justin Verlander brought the Wahoos from behind, as they pulled out an exciting 5-3 victory in the rubber match of the three-game home series.

A crowd of 34,579 witnessed the Tribe winning for the second time in two tries against Verlander (11-6, 2.60 ERA) this season.

With the win, Cleveland (50-49) now trails Chicago by 3.5 games and Detroit (53-46) by three in the AL Central Division race. It finishes the home stand at 3-4.

The start of the game was delayed 26 minutes by rain.

“Good end of the (home stand) after we didn’t start so good,” manager Manny Acta said. “You’ve got to give it to the guys, being able to come back against a guy like Verlander. The seventh inning was just tremendous.”

For six innings, Verlander, who won both the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards, dominated, as he had allowed one run on three hits, two of which were bloop singles. He took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but two pitches later, the contest was tied via back-to-back home runs.

First, Carlos Santana unloaded a 419-foot blast to right. Travis Hafner deposited the next pitch into the right-center-field stands, taking rookie starter Zach McAllister off the hook.

“Our big guys stepped up today,” Acta said. “Two quick home runs on two fastballs tied up the game.”

The Indians then changed up their attack by using singles instead of homers, but kept on charging. Jose Lopez followed Hafner with a single to right.

Verlander retired Casey Kotchman and Shelley Duncan on fly balls, but Shin-Soo Choo sliced a line single to left, moving Lopez to second. Asdrubal Cabrera then laced a hit to right to knock in Lopez and send Choo to third. Fielder cut off Brennan Boesch’s throw in an attempt to trap Cabrera between first and second, but nobody covered second base.

Jason Kipnis then hit a line drive on which shortstop Ramon Santiago attempted to make a backhanded catch, but he couldn’t handle it and the ball dropped for a hit as Choo came home to make it 5-3.

All in all, it was a four-run, six-hit uprising. Each of those amounts represents more than the number the right-hander has given up in most of his entire starts this season.

Joe Smith (7-2) notched his second win of the series. He pitched to only one batter, but it was an important one, as he got the dangerous Miguel Cabrera to ground to third for a double play with men at the corners to end a seventh-inning threat.

“Smith had probably the most impact (among our bullpen pitchers) with that double-play ball,” Acta said.

Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez worked the eighth and ninth respectively. It was not without dramatics, as the Tigers put two of the first three batters on base in the ninth against Perez (29th save).

“It’s just so comforting to have a lead when those two guys are ready to pitch,” Acta said.

The sides traded runs in the first inning. First, Detroit’s Austin Jackson beat out a hit to third base and went to second on Jose Lopez’s bad throw, and scored on Prince Fielder’s two-out single through the left side.

The Indians tied it when Choo lined a double off the center-field wall on Verlander’s first pitch, went to third on a grounder by Asdrubal Cabrera and came home on a sacrifice fly that Kipnis drove to the left-field wall.

The Tigers regained the lead on Jackson’s third hit, an RBI single in the fourth.

The Tribe put the first two runners on in the bottom of the fourth, but Santana grounded into a double play to help Verlander get out of it.

Delmon Young’s opposite-field homer to right pushed it to 3-1 in the sixth.

McAllister, who threw 30 pitches in the first frame, was able to last 6.1 innings. He allowed three runs (2 earned) on nine hits and two walks while fanning seven.

“McAllister was great again,” Acta said. “Every five days he just continues to give us an opportunity to win.”

Phil Coke and Brayan Villareal combined to hold down Cleveland in the eighth despite Santana’s leadoff double.

Goldman is a freelance writer from South Euclid.

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