Verlander angling for resurgence

Verlander struck out 11 and Curtis Granderson delivered the go-ahead hit as the Tigers beat the Indians, 3-1, yesterday in Detroit.

Verlander (2-2) allowed one run and two hits in seven innings, finishing up by escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam. Last Monday, he fanned nine in seven shutout innings against the Yankees.

"This is certainly the best I've felt in a while," he said. "This is why I worked so hard in the spring to get back to my natural arm angle. It wasn't easy - I felt like I was throwing sidearm for a week when I had only moved it an inch - but it is paying off."

After winning Rookie of the Year in 2006 while leading the Tigers to the World Series, Verlander seemed to have an unlimited future. Last year, though, he finished 11-17. He then allowed 24 runs in 21 innings over his first four starts this season.

Cliff Lee (1-4) gave up three runs and 12 hits in seven innings, giving him more losses than he had last year, when he went 22-3.

Dodgers 7, Padres 3 - Chad Billingsley pitched seven innings, Orlando Hudson drove in three runs with a pair of doubles, and Los Angeles set a franchise record for the best home winning streak to begin a season and tie the National League mark.

The 10-0 start at Chavez Ravine eclipsed the mark set at Ebbets Field by the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this streak is the longest by any NL team since 1983, when the Braves won their first 10 games at Fulton County Stadium to tie the modern league record shared by the 1918 New York Giants and 1970 Chicago Cubs.

Royals 7, Twins 5 - Jose Guillen homered and drove in four runs, rallying visiting Kansas City past Minnesota after Twins starter Scott Baker carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning.

Guillen's three-run shot accounted for the first runs off Baker (0-4), who flirted with Minnesota's first no-hitter since 1999. But he gave up five straight hits in the seventh and failed to record an out as the Royals overcame their largest deficit this season to take two of three in the series.

Blue Jays 4, Orioles 3 - Vernon Wells hit a two-run homer, Alex Rios added a solo shot, and host Toronto completed a three-game sweep of Baltimore, handing the Orioles their sixth straight loss and 14th in 17 games following a 6-2 start.

Cubs 6, Marlins 4 - Derrek Lee hit a grand slam shortly after Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano left with a strained hamstring while beating out a bunt single in the fifth inning, and host Chicago beat Florida.

Mariners 8, Athletics 7 - Jose Lopez blooped an RBI single in the 15th inning and host Seattle, after pulling off a pair of late rallies, beat Oakland in the longest game in the majors this season, 5 hours 2 minutes.

Rangers 5, White Sox 1 - Ian Kinsler tied a team record with his eighth career leadoff home run and Matt Harrison pitched five scoreless innings to win his second consecutive start for host Texas.

Giants 1, Rockies 0 - Rich Aurilia drove in Steve Holm with a 10th-inning single to end a game dominated by starters Barry Zito of the Giants and Colorado's Jason Hammel, helping host San Francisco to its ninth win in 12 games.

Brewers 4, Diamondbacks 3 - Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron hit back-to-back homers, and host Milwaukee beat Arizona to split the four-game series.

Reds 5, Pirates 0 - Johnny Cueto allowed four singles while striking out nine during eight dominating innings, and Ramon Hernandez drove in three runs for visiting Cincinnati.

Astros 7, Braves 5 - Michael Bourn had three hits, including a seventh-inning single to drive in the go-ahead run, and Houston won a series in Atlanta for the first time in five years.

The Angels-Yankees game in New York, the Mets-Phillies game in Philadelphia, and the Cardinals-Nationals game in Washington were all postponed because of rain. No makeup dates were announced.