DETROIT -- Justin Verlander hasn't had a vintage season. Still, he has never stopped believing that he can perform like an ace.
In his last three starts, he's proving his point.
On Wednesday night, Verlander allowed one hit over eight innings as the Detroit Tigers routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-0.
"I know I can still be a dominant pitcher," said Verlander, who hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start since July 2. "People think we are robots, and write us off after a bad stretch, but I just needed to get my mechanics back. Now I've done that."
Josh Bell ended Verlander's attempt at a third career no-hitter in the sixth inning with a grounder off the glove of a diving Nicholas Castellanos at third base. Bell ended up with a double after Castellanos was slow to chase down the ball.
"I was so mad at myself that I forgot there was still someone running," he said. "A ball like that hit by a lefty is always tailing away from you, and I just missed it."
Verlander said he had been about to focus on getting his third career no-hitter. Only Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax have thrown three or more since the start of the 20th century.
"My feeling has always been that if I get through six, I'm going to put my foot on the gas and go for it," he said. "I was one out away."
Ian Kinsler homered, scored four times and drove in four runs and Castellanos had five RBI. The Tigers lost the first two games of the home-and-home series in Pittsburgh. The series concludes Thursday afternoon.
"This is a great day at the park for all us," Castellanos said. "We had a couple ugly games in Pittsburgh where we couldn't find any offense, so this was nice."
Verlander (8-7) won for the third straight start, allowing three walks while striking out six. He has allowed two runs in 21 innings in wins over the Astros, Orioles and Pirates. His ERA is 3.97, the first time it has been under 4.00 since April.
"We all knew the stuff was still there and the velocity was still there," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He just needed to straighten out his mechanics, and he's been able to do that."
Verlander received a standing ovation at the end of the sixth, and a longer one after retiring the side in the eighth. Still the subject of constant trade rumors, he tipped his cap to the fans after the eighth.
"We had good at-bats against him, but he was throwing up in the zone and hitting the corners," said Josh Harrison, who broke up a Verlander no-hit attempt in the ninth inning in 2012. "We were just trying to make him work."
Ivan Nova (10-9) allowed six runs, 10 hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five in his first outing against the Tigers in exactly four years.
"I stayed aggressive, but I kept missing," he said. "Obviously, I didn't get the results I wanted."
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first on singles by Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera and Castellanos.
Detroit made it 3-0 in the second. John Hicks doubled, took third on right fielder Gregory Polanco's fielding error and scored on Andrew Romine's sacrifice fly. After Jose Iglesias struck out, Kinsler hit his 11th homer.
Jim Aducci kept Verlander's no-hitter alive with a running catch of Francisco Cervelli's sinking liner in the fifth, then had to make a quick recovery on the next batter when he misjudged Starling Marte's line drive.
Castellanos made up for his defensive lapse in the seventh, lining a bases-clearing triple into the right-centerfield gap after Nova walked two batters and hit a third.
"I lost my command and turned what could have been a good night into a horrible one," Nova said.
Castellanos leads the American League with eight triples.
"Next year, I'm going to get an incentive for that into my contract," he said.
Kinsler made it 9-0 with a three-run double in the eighth.
Bell got his second hit of the night with a double off Shane Greene in the ninth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: Bell broke up Verlander's no-hitter on a day where he was getting a partial day off. With the Pirates playing in an American League park, he was serving as the designated hitter instead of his usual spot at first base.
Tigers: OF Alex Presley (oblique strain) was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday. ... Iglesias returned from the bereavement list on Wednesday, so 3B Jeimer Candelario was optioned back to Toledo.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Gerrit Cole (9-8, 4.00) will face the Tigers in the final game of the four-game, two-city series. Cole is 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA in three career starts against Detroit.
Tigers: RHP Drew VerHagen (0-1, 5.00) will start the series finale for the Tigers, his second start of the season. VerHagen has never started against Pittsburgh, but has faced them three times as a reliever, going 0-0 with an 11.57 ERA.
In his last three starts, he's proving his point.
On Wednesday night, Verlander allowed one hit over eight innings as the Detroit Tigers routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-0.
"I know I can still be a dominant pitcher," said Verlander, who hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start since July 2. "People think we are robots, and write us off after a bad stretch, but I just needed to get my mechanics back. Now I've done that."
Josh Bell ended Verlander's attempt at a third career no-hitter in the sixth inning with a grounder off the glove of a diving Nicholas Castellanos at third base. Bell ended up with a double after Castellanos was slow to chase down the ball.
"I was so mad at myself that I forgot there was still someone running," he said. "A ball like that hit by a lefty is always tailing away from you, and I just missed it."
Verlander said he had been about to focus on getting his third career no-hitter. Only Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax have thrown three or more since the start of the 20th century.
"My feeling has always been that if I get through six, I'm going to put my foot on the gas and go for it," he said. "I was one out away."
Ian Kinsler homered, scored four times and drove in four runs and Castellanos had five RBI. The Tigers lost the first two games of the home-and-home series in Pittsburgh. The series concludes Thursday afternoon.
"This is a great day at the park for all us," Castellanos said. "We had a couple ugly games in Pittsburgh where we couldn't find any offense, so this was nice."
Verlander (8-7) won for the third straight start, allowing three walks while striking out six. He has allowed two runs in 21 innings in wins over the Astros, Orioles and Pirates. His ERA is 3.97, the first time it has been under 4.00 since April.
"We all knew the stuff was still there and the velocity was still there," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He just needed to straighten out his mechanics, and he's been able to do that."
Verlander received a standing ovation at the end of the sixth, and a longer one after retiring the side in the eighth. Still the subject of constant trade rumors, he tipped his cap to the fans after the eighth.
"We had good at-bats against him, but he was throwing up in the zone and hitting the corners," said Josh Harrison, who broke up a Verlander no-hit attempt in the ninth inning in 2012. "We were just trying to make him work."
Ivan Nova (10-9) allowed six runs, 10 hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five in his first outing against the Tigers in exactly four years.
"I stayed aggressive, but I kept missing," he said. "Obviously, I didn't get the results I wanted."
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first on singles by Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera and Castellanos.
Detroit made it 3-0 in the second. John Hicks doubled, took third on right fielder Gregory Polanco's fielding error and scored on Andrew Romine's sacrifice fly. After Jose Iglesias struck out, Kinsler hit his 11th homer.
Jim Aducci kept Verlander's no-hitter alive with a running catch of Francisco Cervelli's sinking liner in the fifth, then had to make a quick recovery on the next batter when he misjudged Starling Marte's line drive.
Castellanos made up for his defensive lapse in the seventh, lining a bases-clearing triple into the right-centerfield gap after Nova walked two batters and hit a third.
"I lost my command and turned what could have been a good night into a horrible one," Nova said.
Castellanos leads the American League with eight triples.
"Next year, I'm going to get an incentive for that into my contract," he said.
Kinsler made it 9-0 with a three-run double in the eighth.
Bell got his second hit of the night with a double off Shane Greene in the ninth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: Bell broke up Verlander's no-hitter on a day where he was getting a partial day off. With the Pirates playing in an American League park, he was serving as the designated hitter instead of his usual spot at first base.
Tigers: OF Alex Presley (oblique strain) was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday. ... Iglesias returned from the bereavement list on Wednesday, so 3B Jeimer Candelario was optioned back to Toledo.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Gerrit Cole (9-8, 4.00) will face the Tigers in the final game of the four-game, two-city series. Cole is 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA in three career starts against Detroit.
Tigers: RHP Drew VerHagen (0-1, 5.00) will start the series finale for the Tigers, his second start of the season. VerHagen has never started against Pittsburgh, but has faced them three times as a reliever, going 0-0 with an 11.57 ERA.
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Pittsburgh - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | PIT | DET |
| Marte grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| Frazier grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| McCutchen grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Ivan Nova pitching for Pittsburgh | PIT | DET |
| Kinsler singled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Adduci flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera singled to left center, Kinsler to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Castellanos singled to center, Kinsler scored, Cabrera to second. | 0 | 1 |
| Mahtook struck out swinging. | 0 | 1 |
| Martínez grounded out to first. | 0 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Pittsburgh - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | PIT | DET |
| Bell struck out swinging. | 0 | 1 |
| Harrison fouled out to catcher. | 0 | 1 |
| Polanco flied out to left. | 0 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Ivan Nova pitching for Pittsburgh | PIT | DET |
| Hicks doubled to right, Hicks to third on error by right fielder Polanco. | 0 | 1 |
| Romine hit sacrifice fly to left, Hicks scored. | 0 | 2 |
| Iglesias struck out swinging. | 0 | 2 |
| Kinsler homered to left (380 feet). | 0 | 3 |
| Adduci struck out swinging. | 0 | 3 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Pittsburgh - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | PIT | DET |
| Mercer popped out to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Jaso hit by pitch. | 0 | 3 |
| Cervelli struck out swinging. | 0 | 3 |
| Marte walked, Jaso to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Frazier grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Ivan Nova pitching for Pittsburgh | PIT | DET |
| Cabrera doubled to left. | 0 | 3 |
| Castellanos grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 3 |
| Mahtook singled to left, Cabrera to third. | 0 | 3 |
| Martínez struck out swinging. | 0 | 3 |
| Hicks grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Pittsburgh - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | PIT | DET |
| McCutchen flied out to right. | 0 | 3 |
| Bell walked. | 0 | 3 |
| Harrison flied out to right. | 0 | 3 |
| Polanco walked, Bell to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Mercer lined out to second. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Ivan Nova pitching for Pittsburgh | PIT | DET |
| Romine singled to right. | 0 | 3 |
| Iglesias grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Romine out at second. | 0 | 3 |
| Kinsler flied out to center. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Pittsburgh - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | PIT | DET |
| Jaso flied out to center. | 0 | 3 |
| Cervelli flied out to right. | 0 | 3 |
| Marte lined out to right. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Ivan Nova pitching for Pittsburgh | PIT | DET |
| Adduci struck out swinging. | 0 | 3 |
| Cabrera grounded out to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Castellanos lined out to left. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Pittsburgh - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | PIT | DET |
| Frazier flied out to center. | 0 | 3 |
| McCutchen grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 3 |
| Bell doubled to shallow left. | 0 | 3 |
| Harrison lined out to first. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Ivan Nova pitching for Pittsburgh | PIT | DET |
| Mahtook singled to left. | 0 | 3 |
| Martínez flied out to center. | 0 | 3 |
| Hicks flied out to left. | 0 | 3 |
| Romine lined out to left. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Pittsburgh - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | PIT | DET |
| Polanco fouled out to third. | 0 | 3 |
| Mercer struck out swinging. | 0 | 3 |
| Jaso struck out swinging. | 0 | 3 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Ivan Nova pitching for Pittsburgh | PIT | DET |
| Iglesias grounded out to third. | 0 | 3 |
| Kinsler walked. | 0 | 3 |
| Adduci walked, Kinsler to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Cabrera hit by pitch, Kinsler to third, Adduci to second. | 0 | 3 |
| Castellanos tripled to deep right center, Kinsler, Adduci and Cabrera scored. | 0 | 6 |
| LeBlanc relieved Nova. | 0 | 6 |
| Mahtook struck out swinging. | 0 | 6 |
| Martínez grounded out to third. | 0 | 6 |
| 3 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Pittsburgh - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | PIT | DET |
| Cervelli struck out swinging. | 0 | 6 |
| Marte struck out looking. | 0 | 6 |
| Frazier grounded out to pitcher. | 0 | 6 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Daniel Hudson pitching for Pittsburgh | PIT | DET |
| Hudson relieved LeBlanc. | 0 | 6 |
| Hicks walked. | 0 | 6 |
| Romine walked, Hicks to second. | 0 | 6 |
| Iglesias grounded into fielder's choice to first, Hicks to third, Romine safe at second on error by shortstop Mercer. | 0 | 6 |
| Kinsler doubled to deep center, Hicks, Romine and Iglesias scored. | 0 | 9 |
| Adduci struck out swinging. | 0 | 9 |
| McCann hit for Cabrera. | 0 | 9 |
| McCann singled to right, Kinsler to third. | 0 | 9 |
| Schugel relieved Hudson. | 0 | 9 |
| Castellanos singled to left, Kinsler scored, McCann to second. | 0 | 10 |
| Mahtook struck out swinging. | 0 | 10 |
| Machado hit for Martínez. | 0 | 10 |
| Machado singled to left, McCann to third, Castellanos to second. | 0 | 10 |
| Hicks grounded into fielder's choice to third, Castellanos out at third, Machado to second. | 0 | 10 |
| 4 Runs, 4 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Pittsburgh - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Shane Greene pitching for Detroit | PIT | DET |
| McCann catching. | 0 | 10 |
| Machado at second base. | 0 | 10 |
| Hicks at first base. | 0 | 10 |
| Greene relieved Verlander. | 0 | 10 |
| McCutchen struck out swinging. | 0 | 10 |
| Bell doubled to deep right center. | 0 | 10 |
| Stewart hit for Harrison. | 0 | 10 |
| Stewart singled to left, Bell to third. | 0 | 10 |
| Polanco grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Stewart out at second. | 0 | 10 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Pittsburgh Pirates | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Marte LF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | .243 | .310 | .321 |
| Frazier 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .280 | .351 | .377 |
| McCutchen CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .290 | .382 | .521 |
| Bell DH | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | .253 | .329 | .474 |
| Harrison 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .276 | .349 | .424 |
a-Stewart PH
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .180 | .232 | .236 |
| Polanco RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | .256 | .315 | .410 |
| Mercer SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .256 | .331 | .408 |
| Jaso 1B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .214 | .308 | .400 |
| Cervelli C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | .258 | .348 | .383 |
| Totals | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 123 | |||
| a-singled to left for J Harrison in the 9th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Bell 2 (21, Greene, Verlander) GIDP: Polanco Pirates RISP: 1-5 (Stewart 1-1, Frazier 0-1, Mercer 0-1, Harrison 0-1, Polanco 0-1) Team LOB: 6 | ||||||||||
| FIELDING E: Polanco (2, bobble); Mercer (7, catch) DP: 1 (Frazier-Mercer-Jaso). | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Comerica Park, Detroit, MI |
| Attendance | 28,902 (69.5% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:03 |
| Weather | 82 degrees, partly cloudy |
| Wind | 11 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - David Rackley, First Base - Laz Diaz, Second Base - Larry Vanover, Third Base - Chad Fairchild |
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