DETROIT -- The good news for the Tigers is that Justin Verlander continues to look like the ace he's been all postseason.
The bad news for the Tigers is one mistake was enough to give him and the Tigers a 1-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
With one out in the top of the seventh, Mike Napoli hit a 96-mile-an-hour fastball over the wall in left-center field, halting Verlander's scoreless inning streak at 34.
"Those two sliders before that pitch, he took them really well," Verlander said. "The second one I threw was a really good slider that he didn't chase.
"So 3-2 there and having faced him a couple times already, I knew he wasn't seeing the fastball that great. I decided to challenge him. I made a little bit of a mistake. It was a little bit up and over the middle.."
Napoli came into the game batting .118 with just one RBI, yet he had said on the off day that he was feeling pretty comfortable at the plate.
"I put a good at-bat together," Napoli said. "I was able to get to 3-2 and got a pitch I could handle."
Napoli had just one other homer off of Verlander in his career -- in Napoli's first at-bat in the big leagues.
"Obviously, I'll never forget that, being my first at-bat," Napoli said. "He's definitely grown. I've definitely grown.
"He didn't really throw too much of a slider back then. He threw really hard, threw a curveball, had a good change-up."
Other than that home run, Verlander picked up where Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer left off. Verlander took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Jonny Gomes' two-out infield single.
Verlander allowed just the one run -- the first he's gviven in three postseason starts -- on four hits, walked one and struckout 10 in eight innings of work.
"He was obviously locked in," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He had that look and so did their guy. One swing of the bat and they hit one over the fence and we didn't."
Despite the loss, Verlander was pleased with the way he's pitched from his last few starts in the regular season through his three postseason starts.
"I think the results speak more than what I can say," Verlander said. "Just as far as execution and my mechanics and everything that I worked so hard to get to, I feel like I was right where I need to be.
Verlander's 10 strikeouts give him six playoff games of 10 or more strikeouts -- a new record.
He struck out six straight over the second and third innings, which is a new LCS record by a single pitcher in one game. He once shared the record of five games with Randy Johnson, Cliff Lee and Bob Gibson.
Verlander is also the second pitcher in postseason history with three straight games of 10 or more strikeouts and one run or less.
POWER OUTAGE
First it was the Super Bowl in New Orleans, then it was Game 3 of the ALCS at Comerica Park.
Just as the Red Sox were taking the field for the bottom of the second inning, the power went out.
According to DTE Energy, there was a cable failure in the area near the stadium that caused the issue. The cable failure caused a voltage reduction, which tripped the stadium lights.
The lights were out for about 20 minutes, starting around 4:41 p.m. Full power was restored right around 5 p.m.
"We’ve identified the cause of the disturbance, and we worked with officials at Comerica Park to resolve the issue quickly," said Steve Kurmas, President and Chief Operating Officer for DTE Electric, a unit of DTE Energy. "We regret the interruption."
DTE Energy said they maintain two independent electrical feeds for Comerica Park for just this type of thing. Both feeds continued to provide power during the incident.
Verlander, who is used to rain delays during his postseason starts, took it all in stride.
"I wasn't happy about it," he said. "Obviously, I was in a groove but it had no effect. I just kind of treated it like a long inning."
Red Sox starter John Lackey was given as much time as he needed to warm back up after the 17-minute delay and had a 1-2-3 inning, as did Verlander, who struck out the side in the top of the third.
COKE RETURNS
Lefty reliever Phil Coke pitched for the first time since Sept. 18.
Coke, who had felt left elbow tenderness the last time he pitched, was not on the ALDS roster but had gotten ready for the ALCS in Lakeland, Fla.
Leyland called on Coke to get out left-hander David Ortiz in the top of the ninth.
Coke got Ortiz to ground out to second base. Ortiz is now 2-for-19 lifetime against Coke.
"It’s always nice to have an opportunity to do your job at the level at which, competitively, you want to be at," Coke said. "I was able to go there and execute what I needed to execute, and got the out I needed to get."
Coke said he understood why Leyland didn't bring him in to face Ortiz in Game 2.
"It is a totally different situation than it was the other night," Coke said. "We had a four-run lead with the bases loaded. Skipper's trying to win, and (Joaquin) Benoit has been the guy that has done the job for us all year.
"That's who you want to get the big outs."
CABRERA'S STREAK ENDS
Miguel Cabrera went 0-for-4 in Game 3, ending his streak of reaching base in consecutive postseason games at 32 -- the longest streak in postseason history.
Cabrera has reached base in 47 of the 50 playoff games he has played, including his time with the Florida Marlins.
MARTINEZ FINE
When Victor Martinez singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, he appeared to hobble a bit when he came out of the game for pinch runner Hernan Perez.
"No, I was fine," Martinez said. "I had a little cramp, but it was nothing. I'm just not a base stealer, so they were going to run for me."
