Detroit — For one tense night, capped by one familiar big swing, the good times and old times were back. Justin Verlander bulldogged his way through a lineup and Miguel Cabrera ended it with a walk-off blast.
The Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Thursday night amid positive signs and subdued sounds. More than exultation for the Tigers, it looked like a relief, or a reprieve. Ironically — not coincidentally — it was Verlander’s first victory since May 20, and Cabrera’s first home run since the same date. It was clutch baseball from the big fellas, and yet afterward, it was notably low-key in the clubhouse.