Tigers 3, Athletics 1
Justin Verlander struck out eight in seven dominant innings and Miguel Cabrera drove in a pair of runs as visiting Detroit earned a split of the four-game series.
Austin Jackson added two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base for the Tigers.
Verlander (4-1) did not allow a hit until the fourth inning and ended up yielding just two while walking one. The reigning American League Cy Young and MVP did not allow another hit after Seth Smith’s solo homer in the fifth, but was lifted after seven innings and 104 pitches.
Jarrod Parker (1-1) lasted only 5 2/3 innings and was charged with two runs on six hits while walking four and striking out five. The rookie right-hander has yet to allow more than two runs in a start but has issued a combined nine walks in his last two outings.
That wildness got Parker in trouble in the fifth, when Jackson singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and came in to score on Cabrera’s single. Parker walked a pair to load the bases in the sixth before being lifted. Grant Balfour walked Jackson to force in the go-ahead run.
Detroit added a run in the ninth and Jose Valverde worked the bottom of the frame for his seventh save.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cabrera went 9-for-18 with seven RBIs in the four-game set. … The Tigers moved back to .500 (17-17) with the victory. … Oakland 3B Brandon Inge, who had four homers and 16 RBIs in a five-game stretch this week, sat out Sunday due to a tight groin. He is day-to-day.