Verlander has rough night as Tigers go down to Sox, 8-2

Perhas it just was of those nights for Justin Verlander where the Chicago White Sox put him to shame as they took down the Detroit Tigers, 8-2 in the first game after the All-Star break.

It was the first time Verlander had allowed three or more runs in an inning since May 24. The Tigers starter pitched six innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out six on 110 pitches.

Despite the Tigers' misery, there was a bright side to the game. In the 6th inning, All-Star Miguel Cabrera singled to left for his second hit of the day and the 1,500th hit of his career. Time will only tell if & when Cabrera will reach 3,000 hits, much like the N.Y. Yankees' Derek Jeter, who achieved this milestone before the All-Star weekend.

While the bad news was the Tigers losing control of 1st place in the Al Central to the Cleveland Indians, who pulled out a win earlier, the good news was that after the game, Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski announced that infielder Carlos Guillen and right-handed reliever Al Alburquerque would return to the team from the disabled list. At the same time, the Tigers are sending Danny Worth and Ryan Perry to Triple-A in Toledo. Guillen is scheduled to start at second base for Saturday afternoon's game against the White Sox.


POSTGAME COMMENTS FROM THE TIGERS

1st baseman Miguel Cabrera

Left fielder Andy Dirks

...PLUS PREGAME INTERVIEWS FROM EARLIER IN THE DAY

Tigers manager Jim Leyland

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen

Detroit Red Wings prospect Travis Erheart, who was in attendance


EXCLUSIVE: Video interview with Miguel Cabrera on achieving his 1,500th career hit