Rogers Centre is a hitter’s park, but to Justin Verlander it has come to be a pitching paradise.
Verlander threw seven scoreless innings Thursday night in an 11-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, and had a 14-inning hitless string broken by designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion’s single to center with two outs in the fourth inning.
The Detroit Tigers’ ace had not pitched in Toronto since his second career no-hitter on May 7, 2011, and left his previous appearance there having retired the last four batters in an eight-inning quality start on Aug. 27, 2010.
Verlander gave up three hits, all singles, and walked two while striking out five in seven scoreless innings. He could’ve easily pitched the eighth inning, having thrown only 102 pitches, but there was no purpose in continuing with Detroit on its way to a blowout for its third straight win.
“It was like he was painting a picture tonight,” said Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter, who knocked in three runs.
And while it wasn’t one of his greatest masterpieces, it definitely was suitable for framing.
“He was just in command the whole way with a good rhythm,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland told FOX Sports Detroit’s Trevor Thompson.
Center fielder Austin Jackson, who had four hits, four runs and three RBIs, said of Verlander: “He was aggressive. He was throwing that fastball and getting quick outs. It was classic Verlander.”
It was an important game for Verlander, who made it two straight quality starts after adjusting his mechanics. He worked with Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones to correct his mechanics for a later release point that allows him to pitch “downhill” effectively once more.
"I feel like Jeff and I have identified what was kind of the kink in the chain," Verlander told the Associated Press. "It's just a matter (of) making that feel comfortable, making my delivery feel comfortable the right way."
And “comfortable” is how Verlander looked in a smooth Friday night outing.
FOX Sports Detroit analyst Rod Allen said of Verlander: “It was an effortless 98 (mph) today. The mechanics look a whole lot better.”
Verlander had, in two starts before getting straightened out, allowed nine earned runs in a combined 10 innings.
Questions persisted as to what was wrong with Verlander, whose earned run average bloated to 3.90. That’s not horrible, but Verlander’s expectations are well above that after either winning or finishing second in Cy Young Award voting in 2011 and 2012.
But guess what?
Verlander’s 9-5 record is identical to what he had at this exact point last year, when he also won his ninth game on July 4 against the Minnesota Twins. The difference being that he had a 2.58 ERA one year ago, and is at 3.54 now.
His ERA is 13th in the American League, and right behind that of Indians ace Justin Masterson (10-6, 3.48), whom Detroit faces in the opening game of an important four-game series in Cleveland. Verlander definitely has numbers worthy of All-Star Game selection despite all the concerns with his performance level this season.
On a night when closer Joaquin Benoit was unavailable because Leyland didn’t want to pitch him in three consecutive games, Verlander’s timing couldn’t have been better.
Reliever Phil Coke, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning, noted, “He was very Verlanderesque.”
MIGGY OUT, DONNIE IN: Don Kelly replaced Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera on Friday night to give the reigning AL MVP a game off after back stiffness and other tightness occurred Thursday night. Kelly responded with a three-hit game to boost his average to .240.
“Nobody in the league can be Miguel Cabrera,” Kelly said. “You just have to stay within yourself.”
Kelly is 12-for-28 (.429) since June 4, when he entered that game batting .182.
Ramon Santiago went 2-for-5 as the replacement for second baseman Omar Infante (bruised shin).
