DETROIT (AP) -- Roberto Alomar was happy to play a big part in helping the Cleveland Indians avoid their longest losing streak in nine years. He wasn't happy with his club's pitchers.

Alomar, beaned by Detroit's Willie Blair in the fourth inning, responded with four RBI as the Indians ended a six-game losing streak Sunday by beating the Tigers 9-4.

Alomar had a two-run single as the Indians rallied from a 4-1 deficit in a three-run seventh. He added a two-run double in a five-run eighth.

The second baseman was upset about what happened in the fourth, when he was struck in the back of the helmet by Blair.

"I can't believe we didn't retaliate," Alomar said. "I don't feel real well about the situation."

Alomar stared briefly at Blair after he got up, but said he didn't think about charging the mound.

"It's really scary. I don't take that lightly," Alomar said. "I don't appreciate that the guy hit me in the head. I know he wasn't trying, but he still hit me in the head."

Blair said the pitch was "totally unintentional." There were no other incidents between the teams that had a major bench-clearing brawl last season.

Jim Thome homered as Cleveland remained 7½ games behind first-place Chicago in the AL Central. The Indians and White Sox begin a four-game series Monday night at Comiskey Park.

"This is a big win for us, especially going to Chicago," Alomar said. "Now we have to go there and take it day-by-day and win as many as we can."

The Indians, swept at home this week by the White Sox, haven't lost seven straight since June 27-July 3, 1991.

Justin Speier (1-1) struck out seven in 3 2/3 innings of perfect relief for his first major league win.

"My first big-league win is nice," Speier said, "but it's better that our team got a 'W' and broke us out of our little skid right now."

Danny Patterson (2-1) gave up three runs on four hits in one inning.

Rich Becker hit a home run and had three RBI for the Tigers, who were trying for their first three-game home sweep of the Indians since 1991.

"Two out of three is good, but we were thinking sweep," said Tigers reliever Matt Anderson, who gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning. "Especially (leading) 4-1, that's all we were thinking. We wanted to win that game and take three. Two out of three in that situation isn't very satisfying."

Kenny Lofton had an RBI infield single during the seventh-inning rally. The Indians took advantage of four hits, including a tiebreaking single by Sandy Alomar, and two errors in the eighth.

"The bullpen's really done an outstanding job for us, but you're going to have days when your bullpen gets a little roughed up and we had one today," Tigers catcher Brad Ausmus said.

Jaime Navarro, released by Milwaukee after going 0-5 with a 12.54 ERA, left his first start for Cleveland trailing 4-1. Navarro, signed Friday, allowed eight hits in 5 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on eight hits, struck out four and walked two.

"He's got a good, live arm," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. "I was surprised he threw the ball that hard. I liked the way he threw today."

Blair, making his third start since replacing C.J. Nitkowski in the Tigers rotation, gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings, striking out six.

Becker's two-run homer in the second and sacrifice fly in the third gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

Thome's 19th homer went an estimated 442 feet into the second tier of ivy beyond the center-field wall. It finished Blair in the sixth.

Deivi Cruz singled home a run in the bottom half.

Game notes
3B Dean Palmer was scratched from the Tigers' lineup because of spasms in his right shoulder and is day to day. Palmer has had recurring shoulder problems the past two weeks. ... Thome was 1-for-10 with five strikeouts in the series before his home run.