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Barajas, Blue Jays top Tigers

Aug 12, 2008 - 3:04 AM DETROIT (Ticker) -- Rod Barajas had a home run and three RBI and the Toronto Blue Jays knocked off the Detroit Tigers, 7-2, in the opener of a four-game set Monday.

The Toronto catcher put the Blue Jays ahead with an RBI single in the second inning and belted his 10th home run, a solo shot, in the sixth inning. He also added a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

"I got good pitches to hit and took advantage of their mistakes," Barajas said. "(Justin) Verlander usually owns me, but tonight he got his pitches up."

Verlander (8-13) continued his recent struggles, dropping his fourth straight start. The righthander lasted just 4 1/3 innings, surrendering six runs and seven hits. He struck out two and walked a pair.

"I think I was trying to create a little too much. I got some balls up in the zone, where maybe if they were down they would have got guys out and not let them drive it," Verlander said. "I learned my lesson. Next time I can't try to be so creative, and let them get themselves out."

The 25-year-old has allowed 30 runs in his last 21 2/3 innings during his second four-game losing streak of the season. He also lost four consecutive starts from April 27 to May 14.

In his last start, Verlander threw a career-high 130 pitches against the Chicago White Sox, which led manager Jim Leyland to point to that as an explanation for his poor outing.

"It was kind of a dead-arm night for him, and it was certainly related to the 130-pitch outing," Leyland said. "That's why I got him out real early, just to freshen him up for his next start."

Toronto got on the board in the second inning on consecutive singles by Vernon Wells, Matt Stairs and Barajas, who plated Wells with the first run of the game. With runners on the corners, Adam Lind followed with a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0.

After Brandon Inge hit a leadoff homer in the third inning off Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum, the visitors quickly answered with two more runs in the fourth.

Alex Rios led off the frame with a walk and scored on back-to-back singles by Wells and Stairs, putting runners at first and third. Barajas then lifted a fly ball to center to give Toronto a 4-1 edge.

Marcum (7-5) pitched six solid innings, allowing two runs and eight hits with one walk and three strikeouts. He also stranded seven baserunners. The victory was his second in a row after going winless in seven previous starts.

"He pitched a very solid game. He's looking like the pitcher that he was before the slump," Toronto manager Cito Gaston said.

Brandon League, Scott Downs and B.J. Ryan combined for three innings of scoreless relief for Toronto.

Toronto tacked on two more runs in the fifth frame, bouncing Verlander from the game. Josh McDonald led off with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice. After a walk by Marco Scutaro, Rios singled to right, scoring McDonald and bringing on Aquilino Lopez from the Detroit bullpen. Wells drove in Scutaro with Toronto's third sacrifice fly of the game.

"We played really well tonight. We pitched well, got the key hit when we needed it and played solid defense," Gaston said. "This was the kind of game you want to play about 95 times a year."

Barajas went deep in the sixth and Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homer for the Tigers in the bottom half to wrap up the scoring.