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In Progress: Justin Verlander Spinning One-Hit Gem Against Angels
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Justin Verlander threw 8 1/3 strong innings as Detroit shut down Los Angeles, 5-1, in the finale of a three-game set from Comerica Park.
Verlander (2-2) allowed just three hits and one run, fanning seven without a walk in his strongest outing of the season.
Austin Jackson finished 3-for-5 and knocked in a run for the Tigers, who swept the series and have won five in a row overall. Miguel Cabrera, Brennan Boesch and Ramon Santiago also drove in a run each.
Torii Hunter and Maicer Izturis singled, while Erick Aybar knocked in the lone run for the Angels, who have lost four of five.
Jered Weaver (3-1) was dented for seven hits and four runs over just 4 2/3 innings in defeat, but struck out six and walked just one to suffer his first loss since last September 25.
Verlander allowed a two-out single from Hunter in the first and retired the next 23 batters until a pinch-hit single from Izturis with one out in the ninth. After advancing on defensive indifference, an Aybar single up the middle scored the Halos’ first run.
Jose Valverde came on and allowed a base hit to Bobby Abreu after Aybar moved up to second on indifference, but Hunter flied out and Hideki Matsui grounded out to end the game.
The Tigers snapped a scoreless deadlock with four runs in the fifth. Alex Avila started with a single and Scott Sizemore followed with the same before Santiago's base hit brought across a run. Weaver's wild pitch then brought in Sizemore. Two groundouts and a walk to Magglio Ordonez preceded Cabrera's RBI single.
Jason Bulger got the call for Weaver but promptly gave up a double to Boesch which brought in Ordonez.
Jackson’s two-out RBI single in the sixth boosted Detroit’s advantage to 5-0, but the Tigers failed to capitalize in the eighth despite loading the bases with one out.
Along with a split in southern California from April 19-22, the Tigers have taken five of the seven meetings this season against the Angels...It was Verlander's longest outing since hurling all nine frames in a 5-1 win at Chicago over the White Sox on July 24, 2009.
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