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Verlander leads Tigers into finale with Rockies

Jun 19, 2011 - 3:03 PM (Sports Network) - Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander is an early candidate to start for the American League in the All-Star Game next month and will put his unbeaten streak on the line today against the Colorado Rockies in the finale of a three-game interleague series from Coors Field.

Verlander is 6-0 with a 1.84 earned run average over his last eight starts -- with Detroit going 7-1 in that span -- and is coming off his second shutout of the season. Verlander, who also blanked Toronto on May 7, has won four straight starts and is 8-3 with a 2.66 ERA in 15 overall outings. He is one of the league leaders in strikeouts with 105 and owns a 3-1 record in six road starts so far this season.

The right-hander did not record a decision in his only start against Colorado on June 28, 2008 in a 7-6 win. Verlander was reached for two runs and five hits over 5 2/3 innings that day, and will try to prevent the Rockies from winning their fifth straight games this afternoon.

Detroit fell to 0-2 on a six-game road trip against Colorado and Los Angeles following Saturday's 5-4 loss, as Phil Coke was dealt the setback for yielding four runs and five hits in five innings of work.

"I just didn't quite have the command that I'm known for," Coke said.

Ryan Rayburn drove in two runs and Jhonny Peralta had two hits and an RBI for the Tigers, who have lost three of four games. Despite the setback, the Tigers have posted an impressive 64-31 mark since interleague play began in 1997 and are one game behind Cleveland for the AL Central lead.

Tigers catcher Victor Martinez is hitting .388 with eight doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI in his last 22 games. He went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in Saturday's loss.

Colorado has won four in a row and seven of its last 10 games, and is trying for its first three-game sweep of the Tigers since July 2-4, 2004 at Coors Field. In last night's win, Ubaldo Jimenez posted his second win of the season (2-7) despite permitting three runs and eight hits in five innings.

Matt Lindstrom, Matt Reynolds, Matt Belisle, Rafael Betancourt and closer Huston Street went the rest of the way to preserve the win, with Street allowing one run in the ninth for his 20th save.

The Rockies are 6-3 on a 10-game homestand and will visit the Indians and Yankees for six games following this series with Detroit.

Taking the mound for Colorado Sunday will be Aaron Cook, who is 0-1 with a 3.97 earned run average in two starts this season. Cook spent part of the season on the disabled list with a fractured right ring finger and lost his most recent start in Monday's 3-1 setback to San Diego. Cook went 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs and five hits. He has lasted 5 2/3 frames in each of his appearances this season, both of which have been against the Padres.

Cook, a right-hander, has never faced Detroit in his career.

Detroit and Colorado are squaring off for the first time since the Rockies won a three-game set from May 22-24, 2009 at Comerica Park. The Rockies have won nine of the past 10 meetings between the clubs at Coors Field and are 105-105 all-time in interleague play. The Tigers own a 135-117 ledger against the National League.