The Tribe is a team in need of speed, and one look at the stat sheet proves it.

Grady Sizemore, who homered twice and joined the 30/30 club in the first game of a series with the Tigers that continues Tuesday night at Comerica Park, leads the club with 34 steals. Second place goes to utilityman Jamey Carroll, who has ... six.

"We have one guy who's a true basestealer, and a couple other guys who have the ability to steal a base," manager Eric Wedge said. "Other than that, we're slow. There's no other way to put it."

And having such little speed at your disposal is no way to generate late-game scoring opportunities. The Indians have an offense very reliant on the home run. Manufacturing runs is not exactly a club specialty.

When Franklin Gutierrez was caught stealing to end the top of the seventh inning on Monday night, it wasn't exactly a rare sight. Take away Sizemore's contributions, and the Indians this season have been caught stealing (20) nearly as many times as they've been successful (32).

Gutierrez (five steals in eight attempts) is one of several young players the Indians would like to see utilize his speed better. Asdrubal Cabrera (three steals in five attempts) and Ben Francisco (three steals in six attempts) can also be considered part of that group.

Of course, speed is not just measured in stolen bases.

"When I look at that, I look at [whether or not a player can score] from first on a double," Wedge said. "And can you score from second on that routine single -- not the one that's smoked, just that regular groundball through the hole? Those are the indicators for me."

All indications are that the Indians could use some help in the speed department. Consider that one of many potential areas for improvement this offseason.

Pitching matchup
CLE: LHP Cliff Lee (18-2, 2.43 ERA)
Lee notched his American League-best 18th win of the season on Thursday with yet another quality start. The 29-year-old took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, but ultimately saw it disappear and then proceeded to allow three runs, before settling down to escape after seven innings with just the three runs of damage. Lee skirted trouble throughout, inducing four double plays, but he was still able to strike out seven batters. Lee is just two wins shy of becoming the Indians' first 20-game winner since Gaylord Perry accomplished the feat in 1974. In two starts against the Tigers this season, Lee is 1-0 with a 7.20 ERA -- largely the result of a five-inning, six-run outing on July 31. Lifetime, Lee is 4-6 with a 5.46 ERA in 16 starts against Detroit.

DET: RHP Chris Lambert (0-0, -.-- ERA)
The Tigers will purchase Lambert's contract from Triple-A Toledo to fill Nate Robertson's old spot in their rotation. It will mark the Major League debut of Lambert, a first-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft who came to the Tigers system last summer in the Mike Maroth trade. He owns a 12-8 record and 3.50 ERA in 26 starts for the Mud Hens, including three complete games and a shutout. He ranks fifth in the International League in ERA.

Tidbits
Ryan Garko has an 11-game hitting streak, during which he's hit .366 (15-for-41). ... Grady Sizemore now has 31 homers and 34 stolen bases, marking just the 14th time in American League history that a player has notched a 30-30 season. The only other Indians player to do it was Joe Carter in 1987. ... An Indians win Tuesday would put them in third place for the first time since June 17.

Tickets
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On the Internet
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Up next
• Wednesday: Indians (Fausto Carmona, 6-5, 4.40) at Tigers (Justin Verlander, 10-13, 4.42), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Indians (Jeremy Sowers, 2-6, 5.95) vs. Mariners (Jarrod Washburn, 5-14, 4.93), 7:05 p.m. ET