The Detroit Tigers wrapped up their West Coast road trip with a much-needed win on Sunday, as ace Justin Verlander tossed seven strong innings to power the Tigers over Oakland by a 3-1 score.
Red-hot as of late, third baseman Miguel Cabrera knocked in leadoff hitter Austin Jackson twice on RBI singles during the game. The latter of which came in the top of the ninth inning to extend Detroit's advantage to two runs, which offered closer Jose Valverde, who would eventually record his seventh save of the year, a bit of breathing room.
The story of the day, however, was last year's MVP on the mound. Verlander gave up just two hits all afternoon, and aside from a Seth Smith solo shot in the fifth, was virtually unhittable. In addition to eight strikeouts, the flamethrowing righty gave up just one walk and lowered his season ERA to 2.47 in the process. He now stands at 4-1 on the year after eight starts.
Next up for the Tigers is a short two-game series on the South Side of Chicago against the division rival White Sox. Promising rookie pitcher Drew Smyly will take the mound for Detroit against Chicago's John Danks, in a game that should provide plenty of entertainment with two dangerous offenses squaring off.
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