May 11, 2006
From Detroittigers.com
BALTIMORE-- Justin Verlander (ODU'04) pitched seven plus innings, fanningfour as the Detroit Tigers defeated Baltimore, 6-3.
Verlander is now 4-3 overall with a 3.77 earned run average. He walkedfour and gave up seven hits. The all-time strikeout leader in Virginia,and CAA history has now gone atleast six innings in six of his seven starts this year.
With Verlander in the rotation, the Tigers might be able to afford anooff-night offensivley. But changing speeds and mixing in a breaking ballto make his hard stuff more dominating makes Verlander dangerous. Heseemed at his best when he got a runner on base.
"That's something I've alway done,"Verlander said."I don't know if it'sadrenaline, or if I save a little bit."
Either way, he's made believers out of his teammates and opponents.
Said Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo: "He mixed his pitches up a little bitand he had some good movement. He throws hard and he was pretty goodtonight."
"He's a great pitcher, he relly is,"Inge, a CAA Player of the Year atVCU said. He's got more than above average stuff. The more yor're in thebig leagues, the more you come to grips with how things are up here andthe more you settle down and actually pitch. He's starting to do thatright now, a little earlier than some people expected."
Case in point: on his 15th pitch of the night, Verlander popped a 101-mph reading on the digital counter on the facing of the upper deck inleft field.