Tigers' stopper springs a leak

Tigers' stopper springs a leak

White Sox hammer Verlander

By JOE VARDON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080727/SPORTS09/807270419

DETROIT - Justin Verlander's first pitch of last night's game sailed near Chicago
shortstop Orlando Cabrera's head.

It was a sign that the Tigers, not Cabrera, were in trouble.

"He was warming up, before the first hitter had stepped in, and he didn't get one
ball down," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "I didn't like what I was seeing."

Verlander was off all night and suffered his shortest outing this season, and the
Tigers lost 7-6 to the White Sox. His personal winning streak stopped at six games,
and Detroit (52-51) now trails Chicago by 7 1/2 games for first place in the American
League Central.

Almost as poor as Verlander's performance was his timing.

Chicago entered this three-game series leading the Tigers by 5 1/2 games. Detroit
gave up ground Friday night when losing a game it appeared to have wrapped up until
closer Todd Jones allowed a go-ahead, two-run homer with two outs in the ninth.

The Tigers needed Verlander to stop the bleeding once again - three of his last four
victories have come after a Detroit loss - but he couldn't. The Sox hammered his
elevated pitches for seven runs on nine hits and a walk in four-plus innings.

"He was a little bit like a bull in a China shop, he just couldn't get himself under
control," Leyland said. "And that happens. I'm certainly not mad at Verlander. He was
so pumped up, he forgot to pitch."

Carlos Quentin, the AL's home run leader, socked his 27th homer in the third inning,
a two-run shot that gave Chicago a 3-1 advantage. Jermaine Dye, who had the
game-winning homer Friday night, homered again immediately following Quentin's blast.

Detroit scored three in the fourth inning to tie it at four - two runs scored on
Magglio Ordonez's infield single thanks to second baseman Alexei Ramirez's throwing
error - but the Sox came right back.

Verlander (8-10) let the first three hitters he faced in the fifth reach base,
including Dye, who singled home A.J. Pierzynski. An RBI double by Jim Thome and Nick
Swisher's sacrifice fly, both against reliever Bobby Seay, accounted for the rest of
Verlander's runs.

"That's never good. You score, they come right back and score," Leyland said.

Last night's outing was certainly not the norm for Verlander. He hadn't allowed more
than two earned runs in his eight starts since June 6 and the seven runs last night
made for his highest earned-run total this season.

The Tigers' hitters also had their chances to bail out Verlander.

Ordonez, who hit a solo homer in the sixth off Chicago starter John Danks, led off
the eighth with a double. Sox reliever Octavio Dotel recovered to strike out Miguel
Cabrera, retire Gary Sheffield (who homered in the second) on an infield fly, and
whiff Marcus Thames.

Detroit loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh and pushed a run home on
Dotel's wild pitch, but Carlos Guillen struck out with the tying and go-ahead runs on
base.

Curtis Granderson doubled with two outs in the ninth against Sox closer Bobby Jenks,
but Placido Polanco struck out to end it.


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