Game 53: Record 28-25

Verlander outstanding, Santana better, Rodney...not so much.

Tigers lost their 4th straight game! This time to the Angels in a classic pitchers duel. Justin Verlander was off-the-charts awesome again. Ervin Santana for the Angels was a little more efficient with his pitches, which enabled him to come out in the ninth and that was the difference. The numbers:

Verlander: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO
Santana: 8.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

Santana gave up the 1 run in the 9th. Justin could not come out in the ninth because he had thrown 119 pitches through 8 innings. Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth in a scoreless game and promptly surrendered 3 straight singles to allow the Angels to take a 1-0 lead. Then came a sacrafice, intentional walk and another run scored on a ground out to SS. 2-0 Angels after the top of the ninth.

Again (as with the Boston series), the Tigers had chances in the bottom of the 9th. Josh Anderson hit a long triple, Miguel had a pinch-hit walk and Magglio drove in the lone run with a single. Winning runs on base and Curtis at the plate and he fouls out. Ugh.

Edwin on the hill today against Kelvim Escobar, who from what I can tell has not pitched in the majors this year. He was supposedly 'knocked around a little bit' in his triple-A rehab start.