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Verlander goes the distance as Tigers rout Rockies

Jun 20, 2011 - 12:23 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Justin Verlander tossed his fourth complete game of the season as the Detroit Tigers offense came alive for a 9-1 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Verlander (9-3) allowed just one run on four hits to improve to 7-0 in his last nine starts. He didn't walk a batter while striking out five as the Tigers salvaged the finale of the three-game series.

Brennan Boesch was 3-for-4 at the plate with home run and scored three times in the win. Miguel Cabrera also scored three times and had a solo homer while Alex Avila drove in two runs.

"We know we just have to come out and give a good effort. A couple runs is a big deal for us to score for [Verlander] because that's all it might take," Boesch said about playing behind Verlander.

Ty Wigginton's solo shot in fifth was the lone run for the Rockies, who had a four-game win streak snapped.

"Personally I feel we just concluded a series where won a series against one of the better teams we've played this year," said Rockies manager Jim Tracy. "Certainly we got beat today by as good a pitcher we have seen all year."

Colorado starter Aaron Cook (0-2) took the loss in six innings, allowing four runs on eight hits.

The Tigers would give all the run support Verlander would need in the early innings, but they also poured on some late runs.

Ryan Raburn collected an RBI single in the second, while Detroit added two more in the third. Boesch was hit with a pitch to start the frame and Cabrera doubled to put runners at second and third. Boesch came home on Avila's sacrifice fly while Cabrera scored later on Andy Dirks' liner up the middle.

Detroit's offense kept pouring it on in the fourth when Don Kelly ripped a triple down the right-field line to score Austin Jackson, who had a one-out single.

Wigginton's solo home run over the fence in left cut it to 4-1, but that's the closest it would get.

The Tigers would get that run back and more in the seventh. Kelly scored on a Boesch single and Boesch then scored on a passed ball. Cabrera later came home on Avila's single to go up 7-1.

Boesch and Cabrera had back-to-back homers in the ninth to make up the final score.

Game Notes

With the win, Verlander joined Max Scherzer to give Detroit a pair of nine- game winners. The last time the Tigers had multiple pitchers with nine wins in the club's first 72 games was 1985, when Jack Morris, Dan Petry and Walt Terrell all had nine wins in the team's first 72 games...The Rockies had won nine of the past 10 meetings between the two clubs at Coors Field...Colorado fell to 105-106 all time in interleague play...Detroit improved to 136-117 against the National League.