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Verlander, Tigers edge Braves to win sixth straight

Jun 24, 2007 - 12:30 AM ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers continue to rack up the victories.

Verlander allowed one run in seven solid innings and Carlos Guillen homered and scored twice Saturday to power the Tigers to a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves and extend their winning streak to six games.

The 24-year-old Verlander (9-2) has been nothing but sensational in June, winning all three starts, allowing just three runs in 22 frames and hurling a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12.

The reigning American League Rookie of the Year, Verlander also has found success in interleague play, garnishing a perfect 6-0 career record with a 2.11 ERA in six starts entering this one.

Facing an Atlanta team which hadn't scored in 28 innings coming into this one, Verlander was dominant to keep both streaks alive.

"I felt pretty good," Verlander said. "Especially on a day where we scored two runs, I always want to give up one less than we score. We scored two and I gave up one."

"You do expect (him to pitch well)," Tigers first baseman Sean Casey said. "The great pitchers in the game, you start to expect that. You have guys like (Roger) Clemens, Tim Hudson and (John) Smoltz, they've done it in the first year and never stopped. A guy like Verlander, you expect it too."

The righthander allowed four hits, walked two and struck out 11, throwing 79 of 110 pitches for strikes to dispatch a woeful Atlanta lineup that was batting just .135 (12-for-89) with one extra-base hit over its last three games.

"I've been a big believer that you can't let the highs get too high or the lows get too low," Verlander said. "You've got to keep an even keel. Right now, I'm just throwing the ball pretty well."

Tim Byrdak and Fernando Rodney worked around a leadoff double in the eighth and Todd Jones worked around a two-out walk to Andruw Jones in the ninth to record his 18th save.

In the final frame, Brian McCann was ejected for arguing ball and strikes before Braves manager Bobby Cox, who came to his defense, also was tossed by plate umpire Chad Fairchild.

With the ejection, Cox tied longtime New York Giants manager John McGraw for first place on the all-time ejections list with 131.

"It was that way all day," Cox said of Fairchild's strike zone. "It was even for both sides. (McCann's) our only (bleeping) catcher left."

Guillen provided all the offense Verlander and the Tigers would need.

In the second, Atlanta starter Kyle Davies (3-7) issued a one-out free pass to Guillen, who advanced to second after the righthander plunked Ivan Rodriguez with a pitch.

Casey followed with a single to right field. Right fielder Jeff Francoeur's throw beat Guillen to the plate, but Guillen's foot crossed the plate ahead of McCann's tag.

Guillen extended the advantage to 2-0 in the fourth by smashing his 12th homer of the season into the right field bleachers.

Davies pitched well before leaving the game with a left oblique strain in the seventh. The righthander allowed two runs and three hits, walked three and struck out six in 6 1/3 frames, but dropped his fourth consecutive decision as the Braves offense continued to struggle.

Atlanta, which was shut out in three consecutive games for the first time since 1988 entering this one, looked like they were getting ready to tie the franchise record for futility of 37 consecutive scoreless innings set in 1985, as Verlander struck out the side in the first.

But the oft-injured Chipper Jones, who missed Friday's contest with a right abductor strain, ended the streak of futility at 31 innings when he homered over the left field wall in the fourth inning.

Jones, who was not originally in the starting lineup, returned to action one day after teammate Smoltz, who is playing through shoulder injury, seemingly took a swipe at the slugger's absence.

The homer didn't stop Jones, who told reporters that he felt pressure to rejoin the lineup early, from responding to Smoltz.

"You guys interviewed him last night, how did you guys take it?" Jones asked reporters. "I'd be stupid if I didn't take it that way."

"Somebody had better not miss a start, though," said Jones with a bit of a smirk. "I got nothing to say (to him). He made his point through the media; I made my point through the media. If he doesn't want to do it man-to-man, that's fine."

Andruw Jones, who was dropped to seventh in the lineup for the first time this season, was hitless in three at-bats to extend his hitless streak to 23 at-bats and saw his average plummet to .198.

Francoeur had two hits for the Braves, who have been outscored, 22-1, over their last four games.