Haren's 2-hitter for Angels tops Verlander, Tigers

[July 06, 2011]  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Although Dan Haren shares most players' reverent awe for Detroit ace Justin Verlander's power and talent, Haren has a few skills worthy of their own showcase.

Haren pitched a two-hitter while outdueling Verlander and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Tigers 1-0 Tuesday night for their 10th win in 12 games.

Haren's parents were in attendance at Angel Stadium in hopes of seeing the milestone win, but Haren (9-5) certainly had to work for it. After Verlander left in the eighth inning -- and got ejected on the way to the dugout -- Haren finished by retiring 15 straight batters, celebrating his 13th career complete game under a spray of fireworks.

"We'll definitely be celebrating," Haren said. "I wish it wasn't a day game tomorrow."

After Howie Kendrick scored from first base on Erick Aybar's second-inning double, Haren was nearly flawless while the Angels ended Verlander's streak of nine straight wins.

Verlander (11-4) was tossed after yielding seven hits and striking out eight, apparently angry after the umpires forced him to change balls during the sixth inning. He lost for the first time since April 27, a streak of 12 straight starts.

"I have a lot of respect for him and what he can do," Haren said. "It's even more special because of the matchup and that lineup over there. Those 3-4-5 hitters are as good as it gets."

Detroit manager Jim Leyland also was ejected before the seventh inning. Leyland said he was steamed about a call at first base in the second inning that allowed Kendrick to reach on an infield single.

"You don't like to see that with either team, but those things happen," Leyland said of a game featuring three ejections. "It was a great matchup. Haren was terrific, and so was Justin. We expected the runs to be scarce, and obviously they were."

Leyland was tossed during a prolonged argument with umpire Joe West, and Verlander was ejected after saying something to West while walking to the dugout.

Verlander had won in his last seven trips to the mound since May 29, with nine straight victories overall.

"It's tough. The good side is, you pitched pretty well," Verlander said. "The bad side is, you lost. Our job is to go out there and keep our guys in the game, and hopefully they can scratch across a couple of runs tonight against a guy like Dan Haren. We just weren't able to do it. He was really good."

The Tigers, who have lost six of eight, also lost slugger Brennan Boesch in the third inning after he fouled a pitch off the inside of his right thigh.

Verlander was named the AL pitcher of the month for June earlier Tuesday after the All-Star selection went 6-0 with a 0.92 ERA and 54 strikeouts, but Haren retired 19 of the Tigers' last 20 hitters overall, expertly mixing speeds and locations in a stark contrast to Verlander's intimidating power.

Haren said he threw cutters almost exclusively in the first three innings before relying on fastballs in the late innings.

"My cutter has been my best pitch all year, and in a 1-0 game, you want to get beat with your best pitch," Haren said. "The curveball was the best I've had in a couple of months, at least. Everything was working."

Detroit managed only Austin Jackson's third-inning triple and Jhonny Peralta's leadoff single in the fifth, with star sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez both going 0 for 3. Boesch also reached first in the first inning after striking out on a wild pitch, but Haren had nine strikeouts and didn't walk a batter.

"He's been phenomenal," Kendrick said. "We haven't always given him run support, but he's always keeping us in it. I love playing defense behind him."

Kendrick extended his hitting streak to 14 games with that infield single in the second inning, much to Leyland's displeasure. Moments later, Kendrick scored on Aybar's hit-and-run double down the right-field line when right fielder Magglio Ordonez threw to second base instead of home.

"I was running hard, but I kept waiting and waiting for Dino (Ebel)," Kendrick said of the Angels' third-base coach. "When I got the signal, I kept going."

Verlander retired the next eight batters, but the Angels loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth on two singles and a walk. Verlander escaped the jam with a strikeout, a popup and an inning-ending, full-count line drive to center field by Torii Hunter.

The Angels have been inexplicably bad with the bases loaded this season, hitting .196 with a major league-low 31 runs scored in that situation.

NOTES: Angels designated hitter Bobby Abreu was ejected in the first inning by plate umpire Angel Campos for arguing a called third strike. No Angels player had been ejected from a game this season before Campos threw out Abreu, who hadn't been tossed since 2007. ... Boesch has a bruised right knee, the Tigers announced. He entered the game on a roll, hitting .398 with eight homers and 15 RBIs over his last 30 games. ... Hunter grounded into his major league-leading 19th double play in the eighth inning.

[Associated Press; By GREG BEACHAM]

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