Tigers 3 - 4 Astros
Final/11
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Verlander goes for Tigers in opener against Astros

Jun 27, 2014 - 2:37 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Six-time All-Star Justin Verlander takes the mound opposite Brad Peacock Friday night when the Detroit Tigers begin a three-game set with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

It has been a rocky season for Verlander, who is 6-7 with a 4.82 ERA. However, the veteran hurler made a mechanical adjustment in his last outing at Cleveland and yielded only two runs in seven innings while striking out a season-high eight and walking one. Verlander did not factor in the decision, as he still has not tasted victory since May 30.

For Houston, Peacock returns to the rotation after missing his previous start with a food poisoning bout, which caused him to lose 10 pounds. The right- hander deemed himself back to normal heading into Friday's start.

Houston snapped a four-game slide with Thursday's 6-1 win over the Atlanta Braves. Starter Jarred Cosart pitched seven innings of one-run ball to win his fourth straight decision, while George Springer headlined the offense with his 15th home run of the season.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, who spent the better part of a decade as a catcher for the Astros, including the 2005 World Series team, now makes his return to Houston for the first time as a manager.

"I played there for 10 years and eight of them were in this ballpark," Ausmus said. "I certainly have a lot of baseball memories there, though I don't know many people in the organization anymore."

Meanwhile, Detroit is seeking an eighth consecutive victory and will try to add to its AL-best 24-13 road record. The Tigers, who have plated 32 runs over their last four games, entered Friday with a 4 1/2-game lead over Kansas City in the American League Central standings.

"There's really no break in their order," Peacock said of the Tigers vaunted lineup. "I've got to be on top of my game."

Tigers starter Rick Porcello tossed a three-hit shutout to earn his 10th victory of the season in Thursday's 6-0 triumph over the Texas Rangers in Arlington. The offense managed 12 hits, although J.D. Martinez went 0-for-4 to halt his 14-game hitting streak. Martinez had hit .411 with six homers, eight doubles and 17 RBI during the streak.

Detroit did not trail for a single inning during the three-game series with Texas.

In terms of the head-to-head series between these two teams, Detroit has won three of the four meetings with Houston so far this season.






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