DENVER -- Justin Verlander felt a little fatigue in the back of his shoulder and called it a day early.
Nothing to be concerned about or anything, he said, just the side effects of swinging the bat so well.
Verlander struck out nine over six commanding innings and drove in his first career run to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Colorado Rockies 6-2 on Wednesday.
"I'll take (the soreness) for an RBI," Verlander cracked.
Verlander (10-8) allowed one run and three hits. His only mistake was a curveball that Charlie Blackmon hit for a solo homer in the sixth. Verlander also ignited the offense with an RBI single in the second.
"I told him before the game, I said, `Your goal is to drive in more than you let in," recounted catcher James McCann , who sealed the game with a three-run shot in the fifth. "He drove in one and let in one. I guess I'll give it to him."
Not a bad swing, either, as Verlander lined a two-out slider from Chad Bettis (0-2) that fell in front of Blackmon. Verlander entered the game 3 for 40 in his career with 20 strikeouts.
Although he's been practicing in the cage, the intensity of stepping into the box can't be replicated. It may have led to stress on his shoulder/back area.
"I would call it irregular soreness, but not anything to do with pitching," Verlander explained. "Not used to hitting, probably the altitude and a lot of things. Maybe a little dehydration. ... That's why it's hard to win here. There are a lot of elements besides pitching on the road."
Still, Verlander once again tamed Coors Field in his second career start at the hitter's park. He also tossed a four-hitter on June 19, 2011.
Nicholas Castellanos added a solo homer as the Tigers captured two of three from Colorado.
The Rockies finished August with a 12-15 record -- their first losing month of the season. They saw their lead for the second NL wild card shrink to three games over Milwaukee.
"We will continue to do what we've done all year. We will bounce back," Rockies manager Bud Black said.
Bettis struggled with his control in his fourth start since returning from treatment for testicular cancer. He allowed five runs in five innings.
The breaking ball led to Bettis' troubles all afternoon. Castellanos hit a curveball to left-center for his 19th homer of the season. McCann later hit a hanging slider from Bettis for a towering homer to left.
"It was poor execution pitching at a pivotal point in the game. I have to be better than that," Bettis said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera wasn't in the starting lineup for a second straight game with back tightness. He entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth with the bases loaded and hit into a double play. ... LHP Daniel Norris (left groin strain) and RHP Anibal Sanchez (left hamstring strain) are scheduled to make rehab starts Thursday.
Rockies: Black remains hopeful that LHP Tyler Anderson (left knee) can help the Rockies' playoff chase in September. Anderson will make a rehab start Thursday.
TRADE SPECULATION
The window for Verlander to be traded may soon be coming to a close for the season. A player must be on a team's roster before Sept. 1 to be eligible for postseason play with that team.
"It's on my mind. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't," Verlander said. "That's not going to change what I have to do."
THIS & THAT
Tigers SS Jose Iglesias finished 3 for 3 with three singles and a walk. ... Blackmon has 84 RBI this season, tying him with Taylor Douthit (1930) for second-most in NL history among leadoff hitters. Blackmon remains four behind the mark set by Craig Biggio in 1998.
UP NEXT
Tigers: After a day off, Tigers have four games against Cleveland, including a doubleheader on Friday. LHP Matthew Boyd (5-8, 6.32 ERA) throws the opening game.
Rockies: Begin a pivotal three-game series against Arizona on Friday. LHP Kyle Freeland (11-8, 3.81) goes for the Rockies, while the Diamondbacks throw RHP Taijuan Walker (7-7, 3.55).
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Nothing to be concerned about or anything, he said, just the side effects of swinging the bat so well.
Verlander struck out nine over six commanding innings and drove in his first career run to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Colorado Rockies 6-2 on Wednesday.
"I'll take (the soreness) for an RBI," Verlander cracked.
Verlander (10-8) allowed one run and three hits. His only mistake was a curveball that Charlie Blackmon hit for a solo homer in the sixth. Verlander also ignited the offense with an RBI single in the second.
"I told him before the game, I said, `Your goal is to drive in more than you let in," recounted catcher James McCann , who sealed the game with a three-run shot in the fifth. "He drove in one and let in one. I guess I'll give it to him."
Not a bad swing, either, as Verlander lined a two-out slider from Chad Bettis (0-2) that fell in front of Blackmon. Verlander entered the game 3 for 40 in his career with 20 strikeouts.
Although he's been practicing in the cage, the intensity of stepping into the box can't be replicated. It may have led to stress on his shoulder/back area.
"I would call it irregular soreness, but not anything to do with pitching," Verlander explained. "Not used to hitting, probably the altitude and a lot of things. Maybe a little dehydration. ... That's why it's hard to win here. There are a lot of elements besides pitching on the road."
Still, Verlander once again tamed Coors Field in his second career start at the hitter's park. He also tossed a four-hitter on June 19, 2011.
Nicholas Castellanos added a solo homer as the Tigers captured two of three from Colorado.
The Rockies finished August with a 12-15 record -- their first losing month of the season. They saw their lead for the second NL wild card shrink to three games over Milwaukee.
"We will continue to do what we've done all year. We will bounce back," Rockies manager Bud Black said.
Bettis struggled with his control in his fourth start since returning from treatment for testicular cancer. He allowed five runs in five innings.
The breaking ball led to Bettis' troubles all afternoon. Castellanos hit a curveball to left-center for his 19th homer of the season. McCann later hit a hanging slider from Bettis for a towering homer to left.
"It was poor execution pitching at a pivotal point in the game. I have to be better than that," Bettis said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: 1B Miguel Cabrera wasn't in the starting lineup for a second straight game with back tightness. He entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth with the bases loaded and hit into a double play. ... LHP Daniel Norris (left groin strain) and RHP Anibal Sanchez (left hamstring strain) are scheduled to make rehab starts Thursday.
Rockies: Black remains hopeful that LHP Tyler Anderson (left knee) can help the Rockies' playoff chase in September. Anderson will make a rehab start Thursday.
TRADE SPECULATION
The window for Verlander to be traded may soon be coming to a close for the season. A player must be on a team's roster before Sept. 1 to be eligible for postseason play with that team.
"It's on my mind. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't," Verlander said. "That's not going to change what I have to do."
THIS & THAT
Tigers SS Jose Iglesias finished 3 for 3 with three singles and a walk. ... Blackmon has 84 RBI this season, tying him with Taylor Douthit (1930) for second-most in NL history among leadoff hitters. Blackmon remains four behind the mark set by Craig Biggio in 1998.
UP NEXT
Tigers: After a day off, Tigers have four games against Cleveland, including a doubleheader on Friday. LHP Matthew Boyd (5-8, 6.32 ERA) throws the opening game.
Rockies: Begin a pivotal three-game series against Arizona on Friday. LHP Kyle Freeland (11-8, 3.81) goes for the Rockies, while the Diamondbacks throw RHP Taijuan Walker (7-7, 3.55).
---
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Detroit - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | DET | COL |
| Mahtook flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Machado hit by pitch. | 0 | 0 |
| Upton singled to right, Machado to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Castellanos grounded into double play, shortstop to first, Upton out at second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | DET | COL |
| Blackmon struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| LeMahieu singled to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Arenado struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Parra grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | DET | COL |
| McCann walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Hicks struck out looking. | 0 | 0 |
| Jones grounded out to third, McCann to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Iglesias walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Verlander singled to center, McCann scored, Iglesias to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Mahtook grounded out to third. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | DET | COL |
| Desmond grounded out to pitcher. | 1 | 0 |
| González singled to center. | 1 | 0 |
| Story struck out looking. | 1 | 0 |
| Wolters grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | DET | COL |
| Machado grounded out to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Upton struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Castellanos homered to left center (400 feet). | 2 | 0 |
| McCann struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | DET | COL |
| Bettis flied out to right. | 2 | 0 |
| Blackmon walked. | 2 | 0 |
| LeMahieu struck out looking. | 2 | 0 |
| Arenado struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | DET | COL |
| Hicks grounded out to third. | 2 | 0 |
| Jones grounded out to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Iglesias singled to left. | 2 | 0 |
| Verlander grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Iglesias out at second. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | DET | COL |
| Parra struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| Desmond grounded out to third. | 2 | 0 |
| González grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Chad Bettis pitching for Colorado | DET | COL |
| Mahtook grounded out to pitcher. | 2 | 0 |
| Machado singled to right. | 2 | 0 |
| Upton flied out to right. | 2 | 0 |
| Castellanos singled to right, Machado to second. | 2 | 0 |
| McCann homered to left center (420 feet), Machado and Castellanos scored. | 5 | 0 |
| Hicks struck out swinging. | 5 | 0 |
| 3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | DET | COL |
| Story struck out swinging. | 5 | 0 |
| Wolters grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 0 |
| Amarista hit for Bettis. | 5 | 0 |
| Amarista struck out swinging. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Tyler Chatwood pitching for Colorado | DET | COL |
| Chatwood relieved Bettis. | 5 | 0 |
| Jones grounded out to third. | 5 | 0 |
| Iglesias singled to center. | 5 | 0 |
| Verlander struck out bunting foul. | 5 | 0 |
| Iglesias to second on wild pitch by Chatwood. | 5 | 0 |
| Mahtook walked. | 5 | 0 |
| Machado struck out swinging. | 5 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Justin Verlander pitching for Detroit | DET | COL |
| Blackmon homered to center (433 feet). | 5 | 1 |
| LeMahieu grounded out to third. | 5 | 1 |
| Arenado flied out to left. | 5 | 1 |
| Parra struck out swinging. | 5 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Tyler Chatwood pitching for Colorado | DET | COL |
| Upton struck out swinging. | 5 | 1 |
| Castellanos grounded out to shortstop. | 5 | 1 |
| McCann grounded out to third. | 5 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Drew VerHagen pitching for Detroit | DET | COL |
| VerHagen relieved Verlander. | 5 | 1 |
| Desmond struck out looking. | 5 | 1 |
| González grounded out to third. | 5 | 1 |
| Story grounded out to second. | 5 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Tyler Chatwood pitching for Colorado | DET | COL |
| Hicks singled to center. | 5 | 1 |
| Jones walked, Hicks to second. | 5 | 1 |
| Iglesias singled to left, Hicks to third, Jones to second. | 5 | 1 |
| Cabrera hit for VerHagen. | 5 | 1 |
| Cabrera grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Hicks scored, Iglesias out at second, Jones to third. | 6 | 1 |
| Mahtook flied out to right. | 6 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Alex Wilson pitching for Detroit | DET | COL |
| Wilson relieved VerHagen. | 6 | 1 |
| Wolters singled to center. | 6 | 1 |
| Valaika hit for Chatwood. | 6 | 1 |
| Valaika struck out swinging. | 6 | 1 |
| Blackmon popped out to third. | 6 | 1 |
| LeMahieu singled to right, Wolters to third. | 6 | 1 |
| Arenado struck out swinging. | 6 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Scott Oberg pitching for Colorado | DET | COL |
| Oberg relieved Chatwood. | 6 | 1 |
| Machado grounded out to shortstop. | 6 | 1 |
| Upton struck out swinging. | 6 | 1 |
| Castellanos doubled to deep center. | 6 | 1 |
| McCann fouled out to catcher. | 6 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Colorado - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Shane Greene pitching for Detroit | DET | COL |
| Romine at third base. | 6 | 1 |
| Greene relieved Wilson. | 6 | 1 |
| Parra lined out to left. | 6 | 1 |
| Desmond flied out to center. | 6 | 1 |
| González walked. | 6 | 1 |
| Story doubled to deep right center, González scored. | 6 | 2 |
| Lucroy hit for Wolters. | 6 | 2 |
| Lucroy flied out to center. | 6 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Detroit Tigers | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Mahtook RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | .276 | .331 | .459 |
| Machado 2B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .297 | .336 | .364 |
| Upton LF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 | .279 | .362 | .542 |
| Castellanos 3B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .252 | .308 | .457 |
Romine 3B
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .238 | .300 | .357 |
| McCann C | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 27 | .252 | .323 | .441 |
| Hicks 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | .317 | .366 | .517 |
| Jones CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | .162 | .269 | .250 |
| Iglesias SS | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | .258 | .293 | .370 |
| Verlander P | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .167 | .167 | .167 |
VerHagen P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
a-Cabrera PH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .252 | .338 | .405 |
Wilson P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
Greene P
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Totals | 36 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 149 | |||
| a-grounded to shortstop for D Verhagen in the 8th | ||||||||||
| BATTING 2B: Castellanos (25, Oberg) HR: Castellanos (19, 3rd inning off Bettis 0 on, 2 Out); McCann (13, 5th inning off Bettis 2 on, 2 Out) RBI: Verlander (1), Castellanos (76), McCann 3 (41) 2-out RBI: Verlander, Castellanos, McCann 3 GIDP: Castellanos, Cabrera Tigers RISP: 3-9 (Cabrera 0-1, McCann 1-2, Verlander 1-1, Castellanos 0-1, Machado 0-1, Mahtook 0-2, Iglesias 1-1) Team LOB: 8 | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Coors Field, Denver, CO |
| Attendance | 29,281 (58.1% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 3:03 |
| Weather | 86 degrees, partly cloudy |
| Wind | 3 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Bruce Dreckman, First Base - Laz Diaz, Second Base - Jordan Baker, Third Base - Tom Woodring |
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