Major league batters beware: Justin Verlander is near unhittable right now.
Verlander pitched a complete game on Sunday, giving up just one run on four hits to allow the Tigers to pound the Colorado Rockies 9-1 and avoid a three-game sweep.
Verlander (9-3) tied teammate Max Scherzer and Boston’s Jon Lester (both also 9-3) for the American League lead in wins. Verlander lowered his ERA to 2.54 (fourth in the AL) and hasn’t lost in five starts; the Tigers haven’t lost a game he’s pitched in since a 4-3 loss on May 19 to Boston.
Offensively, the Tigers finally found enough runs to combat the Rockies, who had 18 runs in the first two games. Brennan Boesch scored three times and continued his surge toward a .300 average, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the ninth to raise his average to .295. After a sluggish May, Boesch is hitting .371 (26-for-70) in June with five homers and 12 RBI.
Miguel Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a solo homer of his own in the ninth and scored three times as well.