Cabrera Homers Twice To Back Verlander

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera homered twice and Justin Verlander pitched his fifth complete game to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 5-1 on Wednesday night.

In a game delayed two hours and 26 minutes by rain, Cabrera went 3-for-3, drove in three runs and scored three. He was intentionally walked in his other plate appearance as the Tigers ended Minnesota's five-game winning streak.

Verlander (9-5) made his case for starting in the All-Star game, allowing four hits and a walk on the seventh anniversary of his debut. He struck out seven.

Twins starter Brian Duensing (1-5) pitched well into the fifth, but left the game after being hit on the left ankle by Alex Avila's sharp grounder. Duensing sustained a bruised left ankle, but X-rays were negative.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the first when Prince Fielder's one-out double scored Ryan Raburn and Cabrera. Detroit, though, wasted scoring chances in the third and fifth innings by hitting into inning-ending double plays.

Meanwhile, the Twins didn't get a base runner until Denard Span's single to lead off the fourth. Chris Parmalee got Minnesota on the board with a homer off Verlander in the fifth, but Cabrera answered with a 429-foot shot into the shrubs above the center-field fence.

Cabrera added a two-run homer in the seventh off Cole De Vries, who was pressed into service as a reliever even though he is scheduled to start on Saturday in Texas.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
NOTES: Span is now hitting .395 (15-38) in his career against Verlander. ... Through three games of the series, Verlander is the only starting pitcher to get through the fifth inning. ... Austin Jackson had three hits and a walk to raise his average to .329.