"Honestly, I was in prime position to go eight or nine innings until a long fifth," Verlander said after the Tigers posted a 9-2 victory for a split of the day's action. "I got a little out of whack there and threw a lot of pitches in the fifth inning. Obviously, after that, I was happy to get through six and give us that extra inning with another game coming up. So, maybe in some small way I helped us win the second one. Who knows? But I'll take credit for that."
It turned out to be a valiant effort, as starter Randy Wolf was bounced after just three innings, forcing the Tigers to rely on a bullpen that entered the game with a 5.