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DETROIT — Tigers ace Justin Verlander was laboring early. His pitch count was rising.
“His command wasn’t as good as it normally is, but his stuff is so explosive,” Tigers catcher Alex Avila said.
But even after a 26-pitch first inning, Verlander wasn’t about to change his approach. Pitch count be darned and all.
“I didn’t focus on being economical,” said Verlander. “Obviously four innings and one run is better than five innings and six runs.”
And seven innings with one run and 11 strikeouts is better still. And that was part of Verlander’s final tally as he typically got stronger as the game got longer — he struck out five straight in the sixth and seventh innings. And so the Tigers rode Verlander and his 121 pitches to a 3-1 victory and a 1-0 ALDS lead over the Oakland A’s last night.
Detroit will go for a 2-0 lead today Doug Fister takes the mound against Oakland’s Tommy Milone.
“Most good starters, you try to get them before they get into their rhythm,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He certainly got better as the game went along.”
The A’s had some mild threats early, but once Verlander settled in — Avila said it was after the third inning — the AL’s reigning two-time strikeout leader dominated Oakland, which set a league record for striking out this season.
“He threw strikes,” said A’s first baseman Brandon Moss, who characterized his three strikeout day against Verlander as “not too good.”
Many said the same.
“He had a big strikezone to work with. … Give him credit. Once he realized he was going to get that pitch out of the zone, he was pounding it,” A’s right fielder Josh Reddick said.
Verlander surrendered a leadoff homer to Coco Crisp, then Oakland’s offense took the rest of the game off.
“Early on, I didn’t have great control with really any of my pitches,” said Verlander, who outdueled A’s rookie Jarrod Parker. “I just tried to continue to make my pitches and told myself wherever the pitch count ends up, that’s where it ends up.”
Joaquin Benoit pitched the eighth and Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth for the save. Benoit provided some stress as Moss drove a ball to the wall with a man on — “I was just hoping we didn’t run out of real estate,” Benoit said — but it was caught by Avisail Garcia in right field.
The Tigers gave Verlander a 3-1 lead in the fifth when Avila, who dropped from 19 homers a year ago to nine this season, sent Parker’s first pitch of the inning over the wall in left center.
While the A’s made some superb plays in the field, their defense helped Detroit take a 2-1 lead in the third. With one out, Omar Infante doubled. One out later, Quintin Berry sent a little topper toward first. Parker tried to scoop the ball with his glove but only succeeded in knocking the ball away, allowing Infante to score for a hit-error play.
“When I saw the first baseman back I thought I had a really good chance to make it. When [Parker] tried to glove it, it ended up getting us a run,” Berry said.
Crisp clocked Verlander’s fourth pitch — and third fastball — down the line in right to give the A’s a 1-0 lead. Detroit immediately responded in the home first when Austin Jackson (double) and Berry (single after failing to bunt) found hits flicking off infielders’ gloves. Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera rapped into a double play, Jackson scoring, to tie, 1-1.