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Ogando shines as Rangers edge Tigers

Apr 11, 2011 - 10:14 PM Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Michael Young and Mitch Moreland each had a run-scoring double, as the Texas Rangers held on for a 2-0 win over the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game set at Comerica Park.

Young went 2-for-4 with a run scored for Texas, which has won three straight and improved to 9-1 this season. The defending American League champions are off to their best start since the 1989 campaign, when they began 10-1.

Alexi Ogando (2-0) was sensational, allowing only two hits and one walk while fanning four before leaving with a callus on a finger on his pitching hand. On Tuesday, the right-hander held Seattle to two hits over six scoreless innings in his 2011 debut, which helped the Rangers take a 3-2 decision. Neftali Feliz locked the win down and earned his fourth save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.

"The blister started surfacing again and we just didn't want to take any chances, so we shut him down," Rangers manager Ron Washington said about Ogando.

Miguel Cabrera had two of the four hits for the Tigers, who have dropped three in a row and four of their last five.

Justin Verlander (1-1) was the hard-luck loser despite throwing his 11th career complete game. The veteran righty yielded two runs on six hits with one walk. He also fanned four.

"I don't think it's terribly disappointing for me, I think it's terribly disappointing for the team," Verlander said. "I made a couple of mistakes in the seventh inning and they took advantage, so that's what it came down to."

Scoreless after six innings, Texas put two on the board in the seventh. Josh Hamilton worked a one-out walk and Adrian Beltre singled to put runners on first and second. Young followed with a run-scoring double to right, and later in the inning with two away and runners on the corners, Moreland hit an RBI two-bagger off the base of the right-field fence.

Darren Oliver took over for Ogando and stranded a runner in the eighth. Feliz came on for the ninth and served up a two-out double to Ryan Raburn, then intentionally walked Cabrera before getting Victor Martinez to ground out to second to end the game.

Verlander retired the first 11 batters he faced before Hamilton broke the string with a solid single to right. Beltre then grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Detroit put runners on second and third with one away in the home half, but Martinez popped out to short and Cabrera, who reached on a double, was inexplicably doubled off second.

Game Notes

Texas took six of nine from the Tigers last season...Despite taking the loss, Verlander is still 6-2 in his career versus the Rangers.