Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander was on his way to tossing another gem when the Cleveland Indians (50-49) rallied in the seventh inning to knock him out of the game and go on to win, 5-3.
After giving up just three hits and one run through six innings, Verlanded was tagged for six hits and four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Cleveland sluggers Carlos Santana and Travis Hafner jump-started the rally with back-to-back home runs to tie the game. Asdrubal Cabrera singled later in the inning to score the go-ahead run and the Indians held on from there.
The loss snapped a personal three-game winning streak for Verlander, dropping his record to 11-6 on the season. Cleveland reliever Joe Smith earned his second win of the series, taking over for starter Zach McAllister. Closer Chris Perez allowed two Tigers to reach base in the ninth inning but eventually struck out Quintin Berry to end the game and secure his 29th save.
With the Chicago White Sox idle, the Tigers dropped a half-game behind first place in the AL Central Division. The Tigers will remain on the road as they begin a weekend series with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
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