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Verlander stymies Orioles as Tigers salvage split

Jul 20, 2008 - 10:15 PM By Rich Dubroff PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Justin Verlander cooled off the Baltimore Orioles on a hot afternoon.

Verlander pitched into the ninth inning Sunday afternoon to win his sixth straight decision, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 5-1 victory and a split of their four-game series with the Orioles.

Verlander (8-9) worked 8 2/3 innings on a 96-degree afternoon, allowing one run and three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. The righthander, who has not lost since June 6, yielded a one-out RBI double to Luke Scott in the second inning and retired the next 16 straight batters until Kevin Millar doubled in the seventh.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland pulled Verlander, who threw 105 pitches, in favor of Todd Jones after Melvin Mora drew a four-pitch walk.

"It was tough getting a grip on the ball," Verlander said. "It was hot and I had to deal with it."

Verlander wanted to finish the game, but Leyland said he could see the ace laboring.

"Unbelievable - that's tremendous," Leyland said. "That's a big-game pitcher coming up big-time when we needed it the most. He kept his composure. He didn't try to overthrow."

Jones walked Aubrey Huff, but Millar ripped a hard grounder to third baseman Brandon Inge, who dove to his right to stop the ball and made a strong throw to end the game.

"He threw it from his knees all across the diamond to end the game, that's pretty impressive," Leyland said. "If somebody made a better play like that to end the game, then God bless him."

The 25-year-old Verlander, who threw a no-hitter against Milwaukee on June 12, 2007, was helped by two double plays.

After Guillermo Quiroz singled in the eighth, Juan Castro hit into an inning-ending double play. Verlander walked Brian Roberts to start the ninth, but Nick Markakis hit into a double play.

"Today, after the first couple (of innings), I thought it was going to be a long one," Verlander said. "I really didn't have good command of anything early. I guess I had a little bit of rust I had to knock off after the break."

The Orioles, who lost for the 15th consecutive Sunday, took a 1-0 lead when Huff led off with a walk in the second and scored on Scott's one-out double.

"Verlander pitched a great game. He had tempo and rhythm," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "All his pitches, he threw for strikes both sides of the plate. Verlander pitched a heck of a game."

Marcus Thames' 19th home run off Brian Burres (7-6) broke a 1-1 tie with one out in the sixth inning. His drive was just to the right of the left field foul pole and required a conference among the umpires before being declared fair.

Inge followed with a double and scored on Ryan Raburn's single to knock Burres out of the game. Burres pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked four and struck out five.

Magglio Ordonez' 13th home run with two outs in the third inning tied the score at 1-1.