Tigers 5, Angels 0
DETROIT -- Justin Verlander lost his bid for a third career no-hitter on a leadoff double in the ninth, and he settled for a one-hitter as the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-0 Wednesday night at Comerica Park.
Angels catcher Chris Iannetta lined a 2-2 pitch onto the chalk of the left field line as Verlander came up just shy of becoming the sixth pitcher in major league history to record at least three no-hitters.
The 32-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out nine while facing one batter over the minimum. He threw his first no-hitter on June 12, 2007, against the Milwaukee Brewers and recorded his second on May 11, 2011, against the Blue Jays at Toronto.
Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Bob Feller, Cy Young and Larry Corcoran are the only pitchers with at least three no-hitters.
The only baserunner Verlander allowed in the first seven innings was third baseman Kaleb Cowart, who drew a one-out walk in the third. Verlander (2-6) then induced second baseman Ryan Jackson to hit into a double play.
Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias made a nice backhanded stop and threw out center fielder Mike Trout in the fourth but otherwise, most of the outs were routine.
Verlander struck out the first batter he faced, right fielder Kole Calhoun, and remained dominant throughout. He notched five consecutive strikeouts in the sixth and seventh -- the last two batters in the sixth, then the top of the order in the seventh. Calhoun went down swinging and Trout was frozen by a 3-2 curveball. First baseman Albert Pujols couldn't catch up to a 95 mph fastball.
Left fielder David Murphy drew a leadoff walk in the eighth, but the Tigers then turned a double play against shortstop Erick Aybar.
Verlander was supported by the long ball as Detroit (60-66) snapped a five-game losing streak.
Third baseman Nick Castellanos smacked a solo home run off Hector Santiago (7-8) in the second. First baseman Miguel Cabrera extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a two-run shot in the fifth, and right fielder J.D. Martinez blasted his 34th homer in the same inning.
Santiago gave up five runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings for the Angels (64-62), who lost for the fifth time in six games.
NOTES: Detroit RHP Shane Greene will undergo season-ending surgery on Thursday for a pseudoaneurysm in the circumflex artery of his right shoulder, which has caused numbness in the middle finger. Greene, who is 4-8 with a 6.88 ERA, is expected to be ready for spring training. ... Tigers DH Victor Martinez was batting .192 since July 20, dropping the cleanup hitter's season average to .243 entering Wednesday. "It's been definitely the toughest year in my career, by far," he said. ... Angels RHP Matt Shoemaker will return from Triple-A Salt Lake and start a matinee Thursday against the Tigers. Shoemaker, who is 5-9 with a 4.76 ERA, made one start for the Bees and pitched six innings without giving up an earned run. "He really pitched well in his one rehab start," manager Mike Scioscia said.