CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Manny Acta, assessing his pitching staff Wednesday afternoon after Tuesday's 14-inning marathon against the Tigers, showed an economy of words when he said, "We're counting on the Big U."

Well, the Big U came through with eight innings of solid work as the Indians beat the Tigers, 10-3, for the second straight game at Progressive Field. The victory pulled the Indians to within two games of first-place Tigers in the AL Central, while sending Detroit to its 13th straight loss on the shores of Lake Erie.

Just who might be the Big U?

Why Ubaldo Jimenez, of course. He's the right-hander the Indians traded the farm for on July 31. They sent No.1 picks Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, along with two other minor leaguers, to the Rockies. Jimenez has been a mixed bag this year as his 6-9 record with the Rockies indicated.

Wednesday night, with the help of a rookie second baseman that Acta fondly calls a dirtbag, Jimenez looked like the front-of-the-rotation starter the Indians said they received in the deal. Jimenez (7-9, 4.57) held the Tigers to three runs on six hits. He struck out six and walked one. His percentage of strikes improved from 58 percent (63-of-108) against Texas on Friday to 63 percent (74-for-117) against the Tigers.

"Ubaldo gave us exactly what we needed," said Acta.

In the Tribe's 3-2 victory on Tuesday, the bullpen threw 12 scoreless innings. They were in need of a break and Jimenez gave it to them.

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"I commanded my fastball much better tonight," said Jimenez. "From the first pitch I was able to throw everything down in the zone, especially the fastball."

In baseball if a player is called a dirtbag, it's a compliment. That's what Acta called rookie second baseman Jason Kipnis, and he earned it.

Kipnis went 5-for-5 with four runs and three RBI. He singled and scored in the first on Carlos Santana's base hit for a 1-0 lead against Rick Porcello (11-7, 4.93). He hit a two-run homer in the second for a 4-0 lead. Kipnis singled in the fourth, sprinted to third on Asdrubal Cabrera's single, forcing center fielder Andy Dirks to throw the ball into the camera bay next to the Indians' dugout. Kipnis was waved home and Cabrera was awarded third from where he scored on a wild pitch as the Indians put together a four-run inning.

Cleveland Indians cream Detroit Tigers, 10-3 11 Gallery: Cleveland Indians cream Detroit Tigers, 10-3

"He's a dirtbag," said Acta. "A dirtbag is one of those guys who'll run through a wall to win. His uniform is always dirty. He's not concerned about how he looks on the field. He just wants to win."

Kipnis doubled and scored in sixth. He singled in the seventh to become the sixth Indian and second rookie to have five hits and four runs in the same game since 1946. Bobby Avila (1951), Jim Fridley (1952), Jorge Orta (1980), Joe Carter (1986) and Kelly Shoppach (2008) are the others. Fridley was the only other rookie.

Kipnis is hitting .295 (18-for-61) with six homers and 11 RBI in 16 big-league games. He's the first Indians rookie to hit six homers in his first 16 games since Louie Medina in September of 1988.

By the end of the night, the fans were chanting Kipnis' name.

"The fans were energizing everyone at the end of the night," said Kipnis. "I thought that was cool. It was awesome -- great turnout, the crowd got into it. It was a big win."

Said Acta, "I feel like we've found our own Dustin Pedroia or Chase Utley. Maybe somewhere in between."

The Indians, 6-2 against the Tigers this year, finished with 18 hits. They had seven doubles. Kosuke Fukudome, with two doubles, had three hits.

The Tigers scored their only runs in the fourth. All three came with two out after first baseman Carlos Santana stretched too early on a throw from Cabrera on Victor Martinez's infield hit.

"I lost command of my fastball in that inning," said Jimenez.

Other than that, it couldn't have been a much better night for the Big U and the dirtbag.

On Twitter: @hoynsie