Verlander No-Hits Brewers

Verlander and Co. can't get it done in rain-delayed game

(AP) - A few minutes past midnight, the Texas Rangers had one more victory over Justin Verlander—and the Detroit Tigers lost yet another wet playoff opener started by their ace. "If anywhere in the country has a drought, just bring me in and I'll fix that," Verlander said after the Rangers beat him 3-2 last night in Game 1 of the AL championship series opener. Before the game was interrupted twice by rain for a total of 1 hour, 50 minutes in the top of the fifth inning, Nelson Cruz broke a postseason slump with a home run and the defending AL champions scored all of their runs off Verlander. More»

It's the first such gem in Rays' history

(AP) - The Tampa Bay Rays finally wound up on the right side of a memorable pitching performance. Matt Garza threw the first no-hitter in franchise history and the fifth in the major leagues this season, beating the Detroit Tigers 5-0 last night. "We needed one. I don't care who it came from. We just needed one for our own confidence," Garza said, mindful that the Rays have been held hitless four times in their 13-season history—three times in the past year. "The guys are just as excited as I am. It's fun." More»

Team appeals official's single base-hit call on CC Sabathia

(NEWSER) - Lefty Milwaukee Brewers CC Sabathia threw a one-hit shutout pitching a complete game against the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday in a 7-0 victory. But instead of celebrating, the Brewers are furious that he was denied a no-hitter by an official's disputed fifth-inning base-hit call on what some say was an fielding error in the three-walk, 11-strikeout game, reports the Milwaukee Sentinel. More»

(NEWSER) - Luke Hochevar pitched six strong innings and Joey Gathright drove in the only runs, helping the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 2-0 on Wednesday night and hand Justin Verlander his AL-leading seventh loss. Hochevar (3-2), the first overall pick in the 2006 draft, limited the Tigers to four singles while striking out five and walking three. More»

Ace strikes out eight, first baseman homers in 5-1 triumph

(NEWSER) - Josh Beckett got eight strikeouts, including the 1,000th of his career and Kevin Youkilis hit another home run at spacious Comerica Park to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Beckett gave up six hits and a run in seven innings and Youkilis hit his third home run in two games. More»