nedwrd12
05-16-2007, 03:51 AM
BOSTON -- The Tigers didn't have many relievers left to throw at the Red Sox on Tuesday night. Justin Verlander didn't need them.
After back-to-back long nights for Detroit's pitching staff, Verlander pitched one of the club's strongest outings of the season against one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball. He held the Red Sox scoreless from a first-inning tally until an eighth-inning home run, allowing his Tigers to turn two homers off knuckleballer Tim Wakefield into a 4-1 lead before a three-run eighth put away a 7-2 win at Fenway Park.
Verlander (4-1) picked up his third consecutive win, but neither of his previous victories could compare to this, both for the opponent and the quality of his pitches. After gearing his fastball up to 100 miles per hour in his last start, Verlander combined that stuff with the skill to use it wisely.
After three first-inning singles turned into an early lead for Boston, Verlander retired 21 of the next 23 batters he faced, six of them by strikeout. Not only did he consistent spot his fastball in the upper 90s, but he also mixed it with his curveball and changeup to keep the mighty Red Sox hitters from gearing up for the heater.
No one saw it more than Manny Ramirez, who popped out to third base on a 100 mph fastball in the fifth inning before being caught looking at a changeup on the outside corner for a called third strike in the sixth. The offspeed pitch came after a 99 mph fastball and a 86 mph changeup. Likewise, J.D. Drew went down swinging at an 82 mph breaking ball following a 99 mph heater in the fourth.
Not only did the Tigers need Verlander to pitch well, they need him to pitch deep. With long relievers Wilfredo Ledezma and Jason Grilli available only in an emergency along with lefty Tim Brydak, manager Jim Leyland joked that Verlander was his long reliever Tuesday night.
Verlander nearly was his own setup man. He hit 99 mph on his 108th pitch of the night for a called third strike to end the seventh. He went back out to retire the first two batters he faced in the eighth before giving up a Kevin Youkilis solo homer to center off a 97 mph fastball on Verlander's 120th and final pitch of the evening.
By then, the Tigers had long since built a comfortable lead. After Brandon Inge's solo homer in the third inning ended a 16-inning scoreless streak for Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield, Curtis Granderson and Gary Sheffield singled to set up Magglio Ordonez, 13-for-30 lifetime off Wakefield and a .356 career hitter at Fenway entering the night.
Ordonez drove a Wakefield knuckleball deep down the left-field line for a three-run homer. Wakefield (4-4) lasted seven-plus innings, but his five runs allowed marked the most he'd given up all season. Ivan Rodriguez, Craig Monroe and Sean Casey added consecutive RBI hits off Brendan Donnelly in the eighth.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
After back-to-back long nights for Detroit's pitching staff, Verlander pitched one of the club's strongest outings of the season against one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball. He held the Red Sox scoreless from a first-inning tally until an eighth-inning home run, allowing his Tigers to turn two homers off knuckleballer Tim Wakefield into a 4-1 lead before a three-run eighth put away a 7-2 win at Fenway Park.
Verlander (4-1) picked up his third consecutive win, but neither of his previous victories could compare to this, both for the opponent and the quality of his pitches. After gearing his fastball up to 100 miles per hour in his last start, Verlander combined that stuff with the skill to use it wisely.
After three first-inning singles turned into an early lead for Boston, Verlander retired 21 of the next 23 batters he faced, six of them by strikeout. Not only did he consistent spot his fastball in the upper 90s, but he also mixed it with his curveball and changeup to keep the mighty Red Sox hitters from gearing up for the heater.
No one saw it more than Manny Ramirez, who popped out to third base on a 100 mph fastball in the fifth inning before being caught looking at a changeup on the outside corner for a called third strike in the sixth. The offspeed pitch came after a 99 mph fastball and a 86 mph changeup. Likewise, J.D. Drew went down swinging at an 82 mph breaking ball following a 99 mph heater in the fourth.
Not only did the Tigers need Verlander to pitch well, they need him to pitch deep. With long relievers Wilfredo Ledezma and Jason Grilli available only in an emergency along with lefty Tim Brydak, manager Jim Leyland joked that Verlander was his long reliever Tuesday night.
Verlander nearly was his own setup man. He hit 99 mph on his 108th pitch of the night for a called third strike to end the seventh. He went back out to retire the first two batters he faced in the eighth before giving up a Kevin Youkilis solo homer to center off a 97 mph fastball on Verlander's 120th and final pitch of the evening.
By then, the Tigers had long since built a comfortable lead. After Brandon Inge's solo homer in the third inning ended a 16-inning scoreless streak for Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield, Curtis Granderson and Gary Sheffield singled to set up Magglio Ordonez, 13-for-30 lifetime off Wakefield and a .356 career hitter at Fenway entering the night.
Ordonez drove a Wakefield knuckleball deep down the left-field line for a three-run homer. Wakefield (4-4) lasted seven-plus innings, but his five runs allowed marked the most he'd given up all season. Ivan Rodriguez, Craig Monroe and Sean Casey added consecutive RBI hits off Brendan Donnelly in the eighth.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.