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Verlander, Granderson lead Tigers past A's

Sep 2, 2007 - 12:20 AM By Tom Kent PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- Justin Verlander took the final round off Dan Haren.

Verlander (15-5) tossed 6 2/3 quality innings en route to his 15th victory of the season and Curtis Granderson homered while collecting four hits as the Detroit Tigers posted a 6-1 triumph over the Oakland Athletics Saturday.

Verlander had faced the Athletics and fellow American League All-Star Haren twice previously this season. The righthander yielded four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings while suffering the loss in the Tigers 7-3 loss in Oakland on July 31, and allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings while earning the victory in Detroit's 5-2 win at home on August 8.

In the rubber match against Haren on Saturday, the 24-year-old Verlander was stellar, surrendering just one run while scattering six hits and walking three.

"I don't want to put any added pressure on myself," Verlander said. "At the same time I don't mind being the guy who guys out there when we need a stop or a win, or whatever it might be. That's not going to change my game plan though. I'm going to go out there and do what I've been doing all year."

"I've had him all three times and that's hard to do," Haren said. "He got me twice and I got him once."

The victory was Verlander's first in Oakland after posting an 0-2 record with a 3.26 ERA in four previous starts at McAfee Coliseum.

"I thought today was some of the best stuff he's had all year," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "His fastball, curve, everything was working.

"He's making a lot of progress, and he's still going to have his moments. He's 24-year's old. He's a tremendous talent. He's one of the best young talents in the big league's - no question about it."

Haren (14-6), who was looking to notch his 15th win of the season, labored through six innings, surrendering four runs and 11 hits. The righthander threw 71 of his 108 pitches for strikes.

"I put us in the hole early, then pitched well enough to get us back in the game," Haren said. "Then I let it unravel at the end. I'm frustrated."

"(Haren) threw the ball well," Athletics manager Bob Geren said. "I thought he pitched well enough to win. Verlander just pitched a little better."

Detroit opened the scoring early off Haren when Granderson and Placido Polanco singled to lead off the game. After rookie Ryan Raburn grounded into a double play, Magglio Ordonez, who led the majors with 31 RBI in August, belted a run-scoring double to left-center field for a 1-0 edge.

Granderson drove a Haren 2-2 offering over the right-center wall in the third for his 19th home run of the season and a 2-0 advantage.

"I understand that he has a great split and a great slider," Granderson said. "Hopefully if you can get him to get up some you have a chance and that's what happened today. If he does keep it down, which he did most of the game, you don't have a chance. That's why he is that good."

After Verlander walked Nick Swisher to load the bases with two outs in the seventh, Tigers' reliever Bobby Seay struck out Jack Cust to end the threat.

Zach Miner and Todd Jones each pitched a scoreless inning for Detroit to finish off the game.

Polanco contributed three hits and drove in a run for the Tigers (73-63), who moved within five games behind the Cleveland Indians (77-57)in the American League Central Division. The Indians are hosting the Chicago White Sox.

Mike Piazza belted a solo home run in the fourth - his sixth - for Oakland, which took the first of the three-game set off Detroit in extra innings, 5-4, on Friday.