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Complete ace: Verlander goes after 10th win vs. D-Backs

Jun 25, 2011 - 2:50 PM Sports Network) - The Detroit Tigers haven't had a losing streak of longer than two games in over a month. Ace Justin Verlander is a big reason why.

Verlander looks to become baseball's first 10-game winner and pick up a career-best eighth straight victorious decision in the continuation of a three-game set tonight with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Comerica Park.

The right-handed Verlander hasn't lost since April 27 and his career high- tying seven-decision win streak includes a no-hitter on May 7 at Toronto. He comes into this start having won five straight outings, pitching to a 0.86 earned run average and striking out 37 over 41 2/3 innings in that span.

Verlander tossed his second shutout of the season on June 14 versus Cleveland, a two-hitter, and then followed that up with his fourth complete game of 2011 on Sunday at Colorado. The 28-year-old gave up one run on four hits and has allowed just two runs and fanned 27 over his past three starts.

"You just don't find stuff like that," Tigers manager Jim Leyland told his club's website of Verlander. "You don't find a combination of fastball, curve, changeup and slider. Three of them are well above average and one of them's average [the slider]. That's pretty tough. When he locates his fastball, he can be unhittable."

Arizona is set to find out first hand if that is true as the franchise has never before faced Verlander, who is 9-3 with a 2.54 ERA this season and one of four pitchers trying for win No. 10 today.

Right-hander Josh Collmenter is expected to have some fans in attendance tonight when he faces the Diamondbacks for the first time. Arizona's rookie was born in Homer, Mich. and will try to avoid a third straight defeat.

Collmenter gave up five runs over five innings versus the Giants on June 14, then yielded three runs on five hits over seven frames of a setback to the White Sox on Sunday. The 25-year-old retired the first nine Chicago batters faced and kept his club in it until giving up a pair of homers in the seventh inning.

"I felt good," said Collmenter, who is 4-3 with a 2.09 ERA in 15 games (eight starts) this season. "Everything felt good, I had good command and I was back to my normal stuff, and other than the seventh inning, everything went well."

Arizona will hope that Collmenter's familiarity with Detroit will help the club extend its seven-game road winning streak. The Diamondbacks extended that run with last night's 7-6 comeback victory.

After rallying from deficits of 4-0 and 6-3, Wily Mo Pena gave Arizona its first and only lead in the game when he belted a solo homer in the eighth inning. He finished with a pair of RBI, while Xavier Nady drove in three runs in the Diamondbacks' fourth straight victory overall that put them nine games above .500 (43-34) for the first time since May 26, 2008.

"We just never gave up," said Pena, who was recalled from the minors on Tuesday and has two homers in four games. "We just said 'hey let's keep swinging and you never know.' We came back and won the game and everybody is happy."

Arizona maintained its half-game edge over San Francisco for first place in the National League West, while Detroit stayed a game back of Cleveland for the top spot in the AL Central despite its fifth loss in seven games.

Casper Wells hit a two-run homer and Jhonny Peralta knocked in a pair of runs in the first inning for Detroit, but starter Phil Coke was unable to hold an early lead and allowed six runs -- five earned -- over 4 2/3 innings.

"They gave me a six-run lead and I let it slip away," Coke said. "I feel terrible. That's the best way I can describe this one. I'm disappointed in myself that I let it get away."

Arizona has won 16 of 20 as the guest since a 5-13 start on the road and also improved to 8-2 versus the AL this season. The D-Backs did lose two of three at Detroit in late June a season ago.