The Tigers took care of their own business on Thursday night by scraping out runs against Twins starter Ervin Santana (7-11), who looked unhittable after striking out the side in the first inning. Three consecutive walks, the last to Aybar with the bases loaded, fueled a two-run second inning before solo homers from Juan Centeno and Byron Buxton drew Minnesota even. Aybar singled in the go-ahead run and scored another in the sixth to put the Tigers back in front.
Verlander (15-8), who picked up a hard-luck no-decision in his last start at Cleveland, earned his first win since Aug.