Verlander, Kinsler help Tigers land 6-1 win
NEW YORK -- Justin Verlander pitched effectively into the seventh inning, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday night.
Ian Kinsler had a career-high five RBIs resulting from a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth inning and a two-run double in the seventh.
Nick Castellanos added a solo home run as the Tigers won for the sixth time in eight games.
With Verlander's fastball reaching 94 to 96 mph at times, he allowed one run and four hits and picked up first career victory at the current Yankee Stadium. He won in New York on Aug. 16, 2007, but had been 0-4 with a 4.84 ERA in seven appearances in the version of the stadium.
Verlander (6-5) improved to 4-2 in his last seven starts as he struck out five, walked one and threw 106 pitches.
Verlander retired 13 of the final 15 hitters he faced and was still hitting 95 mph when he struck out Carlos Beltran in the sixth.
The right-hander's night ended when Didi Gregorius doubled. Shane Greene got the final out of the seventh and the first out of the eighth, and Justin Wilson secured two outs in the eighth before Alex Wilson loaded the bases in the ninth.
Wilson was replaced by Francisco Rodriguez after walking Gregorius with two outs. Rodriguez worked out the bases loaded jam by getting Chase Headley on a groundout for his 18th save of the season.
Rob Refsnyder had two hits off Verlander, including an RBI single to account for New York's lone run. Headley nearly had a home run and scored on Refsnyder's hitbut his drive deflected off the top of the left field wall and was upheld after an umpire's review
Masahiro Tanaka (3-2) allowed five runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.
The Yankees (31-31) had a five-game winning streak stopped and dropped back to .500.
After Castellanos and Kinsler each hit their 12th home run for a 4-1 lead, the Tigers knocked out Tanaka on a base hit by James McCann. Two batters later, Detroit had a 6-1 lead when Kinsler's double off Kirby Yates one-hopped over the center field fence.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead when Castellanos opened the second inning by driving a 0-2 fastball over the right-center field wall into New York's bullpen.
With one out in the third, Headley hit a ball that went off the top of the left field wall over the 318 foot sign and caromed back on to the field while going by left fielder Justin Upton. Headley was originally given a triple, and after a replay review of 2:40 by the umpires, the call stood.
On the next pitch with the Tigers' infield in, Refsnyder slapped a single up the middle. Three batters later, the Yankees had first and third, but Verlander escaped by retiring Beltran.
In the fourth, the Tigers ran themselves out of the inning. Thinking Castellanos' fly ball was going over left fielder Brett Gardner's head, J.D. Martinez had rounded second when the ball was caught. He was doubled off first.
Detroit took a 4-1 lead with one out in the fifth when Kinsler followed singles by Upton and Jose Iglesias by lining Tanaka's first pitch down the left field line and over the wall.
NOTES: New York LHP Chasen Shreve (shoulder) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre on Sunday. He has been sidelined since May 26 and has thrown two bullpen sessions. ... Detroit manager Brad Ausmus was unwilling to revisit LF Justin Upton misjudging a fly ball by Yankees SS Didi Gregorius, which led to a two-run double in the first inning on Friday. After the game, Ausmus said, "I will not blame one player for a game, or trying to blame Justin Upton for a game. That won't happen. You're not going to hear that from me." ... Asked if someone would have told him in the offseason that the Yankees would be have four first baseman on the disabled list, manager Joe Girardi quipped: "What happened to everyone else?" ... Ausmus also had a quip when asked if he realizes Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka throws more two-seam fastballs. "We do now," Ausmus said. "Thanks for the tip."