Guess who's coming to dinner? It's run support!
Of course for most of the game we thought it misplaced the invitation. Innings were piling up and still Justin Verlander's wonderful game was having supper by itself. It was 2-1 at the bottom of the eighth and we were all resigned to the fact all that was left to the night was for Baltimore to find its broom. But then it happened.
Will Rhymes and Ryan Raburn both had hits to open the inning. Austin Jackson may have had the key at-bat, because his walk meant the Orioles were left in the difficult position of being unable to give Miguel Cabrera an intentional base and maintain the lead at the same time.
Either way, Cabrera made them pay with a first-pitch, bases-clearing double. Ah, run support. How nice of you to show up. (By the way: if MVP is defined by how much a star player helps his team win games ... where would the Tigers be without Cabrera? 60 wins for the season?)
Brandon Inge added a bit of insurance with a two-run homer, his 11th of the year.
So Verlander got the win he very much deserved. He finished with 11 strikeouts and five hits allowed. The Tigers avoided the sweep and got back to .500 heading into the off day.