Justin Verlander found himself in a position he hasn't been in so far this spring. Behind in a game he pitched in. On the 3rd pitch of the game, Endy Chavez ran into a Verlander fastball and sent it over the right field fence for a homer and a 1-0 Oriole lead. It's the first run that Verlander has allowed this spring. He promptly struck out the next four batters he faced, then four more in the next two innings.

Verlander pitched 3 and 2/3rds innings, struck out eight, gave up 3 hits and a walk. The only run came on Chavez's homer, but it took his Tiger teammates until the 6th inning to get on the board and take the lead. Gerald Laird's two-run single tied the game and another run scored on a throwing error to give Detroit the lead. Danny Worth had two hits today and drove home the 4th Tiger run in the 7th. Closer Jose Valverde pitched the 7th inning today and struck out the side.

The Tigers are 9-1-3 in Grapefruit League action so far. They will travel to Port St. Lucie to take on the New York Mets tomorrow afternoon at 1:10. Rick Porcello will start on the mound for the Tigers against Johan Santana of the Mets. The game will be televised on the MLB Network

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