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Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Justin Verlander is proof that it's best to be both. While Verlander certainly wasn't dominant Wednesday vs. the Indians, allowing four runs in six innings, his teammates were able to pick him up and lift the ace to his 10th straight win and 22nd victory of the season. In the live-ball era, only two Tigers pitchers have won more consecutive starts: eagles nfl Earl Whitehill (11) in 1930, and Hal Newhouser (11) in '46. Verlander is the sixth American League pitcher in the past 20 years to win at least 22 in a season, and the first Tigers pitcher to achieve that win total since Joe Coleman won 23 games in 1973. The other AL pitchers since '92 with 22 or more victories in a season were Cliff Lee (22 in 2008), Roy Halladay (22 in '03), Barry Zito (23 in ' eagles nfl 02), Pedro Martinez (23 in 1999) and Jack McDowell (22 in '93). Verlander's total of 22 wins through 143 team games is tied for the seventh most for any Tigers pitcher since 1920, and the seventh most in the Majors over the past 40 seasons. Since 1972 -- Most Wins Through 143 Team GamesPitcherWinsSeasonSteve Carlton251972Wilbur Wood241972Bob Welch231990Steve Stone231980Catfish Hunter231974Wilbur W eagles nfl ood231973Justin Verlander222011Curt Schilling222002Roger Clemens221986Steve Carlton221980Fergie Jenkins221974With his effort, Verlander became the eighth pitcher in the live-ball era to go at least six innings in each of his first 31 appearances to a season. The others: Steve Carlton (38 in 1980), Bob Gibson (35 in '69), Curt Schilling (35 in 2002), Gibson (34 in 1968), Tom Seaver (32 in '73), Bre eagles nfl tt Myers (32 in 2010) and Fergie Jenkins (31 in 1972). In 1934, Detroit's Lynwood Thomas Rowe, otherwise known as "Schoolboy," was 24 years old and entering his sophomore season in the Majors. Rowe, like many still trying to find their place with the big kids, stumbled a bit on his way out of the gate, and after a relief appearance on May 23, held a 1-3 record with a 7.14 ERA. By June 10, Rowe eagles nfl was 4-4 and had lowered his ERA to 4.15. And then, like any schoolboy freed by the welcoming of summer, he hit his stride. Beginning on June 15, Rowe would go 2 1/2 months without losing. During this span, Rowe made 15 starts and nine relief appearances, and he emerged unblemished with a 16-0 record and one save. And then, as it happens for countless others, this Schoolboy's magical summer return eagles nfl ed to reality in late August, when he lost to the Philadelphia Athletics less than a week before Labor Day. Rowe's 16 consecutive wins are still tied with Walter Johnson, Smoky Joe Wood, Lefty Grove and Roger Clemens for the longest streak in AL history. ValverdeDetroit's Jose Valverde pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 42nd save and tied Todd Jones' (42 in 2000) single-season team record. V eagles nfl alverde has converted all 42 of his save opportunities this season. With the save, Valverde passed Brad Lidge (2008) for the second-most consecutive saves from the start of a season. Eric Gagne owns the longest streak, having gone 55-for-55 in '03. Dating back to last season, Valverde has converted 44 consecutive opportunities -- the fourth-longest streak of its kind. The only longer runs: Gagne eagles nfl , with 84 straight from 2002-04; Tom Gordon, with 54 straight from 1998-99; and Lidge, with 47 straight from 2007-09. BurnettYankees starter A.J. Burnett threw three wild pitches vs. Baltimore to increase his Major League-leading total to 23 for the season. Burnett, who is now within three of tying Juan Guzman's single-season AL record set in 1993, has eight career games with three or more wild eagles nfl pitches -- the most for any pitcher since '19. Burnett had been tied with Phil Niekro, Nolan Ryan and Tommy John at seven. Those three averaged 810 games for their career, while Burnett has now made 310 career appearances. JenningsDesmond Jennings hit a game-ending home run in the bottom of the 10th to give the Rays a 5-4 victory over the Rangers. It was the ninth home run of Jennings' career, eagles nfl which is 61 games old. The nine homers through 61 career games is the fourth most in Rays history, behind the 12 hit by Jonny Gomes, the 11 by Evan Longoria and the 10 from Elijah Dukes. KinslerIan Kinsler hit two home runs for his Majors-leading fifth multihomer game of the season. The last second baseman to lead the big leagues in multihomer games was Chase Utley, who had seven in 2006 to eagles nfl share the National League lead with Phillies teammate Ryan Howard. Kinsler has 756 games played in his career and has 11 multihomer games as a second baseman (he also has one as a DH). Since 1919, four other players have had as many as 11 multihomer games as a second baseman through their first 756 games. Utley had 16 and Joe Gordon, Alfonso Soriano and Dan Uggla had 11. MoscosoThe Athletics' Gu eagles nfl illermo Moscoso took a no-hitter into the eighth inning vs. the Royals and had a streak, dating back to his previous start, of 30 consecutive batters retired. He finished Thursday's start with 8 2/3 innings of two-hit, no-run ball for his eighth win of the year. Moscoso's streak of 30 straight batters retired was the longest for an Athletics pitcher since the team came to Oakland for the 1968 seas eagles nfl on. The previous high mark was 29 straight by Catfish Hunter in '68 and Dallas Braden in 2010. Moscoso's start produced a game score (an equation used to measure a pitcher's dominance) of 83 -- one of three 80-plus game scores for the day. WilliamsIn the Angels' 3-1 win over the Mariners, Jerome Williams allowed one run on one hit in eight innings and improved to 3-0 in his three starts this s eagles nfl eason. Williams, who before this season had not won a start since 2005, has thrown 22 innings in his three starts and has allowed six earned runs (2.45 ERA) on 14 hits. Williams and Jordan Walden combined on a one-hitter for Anaheim. It was the 20th game this season in which a team held its opponent to one hit or no hits. The Angels have been responsible for three of these 20 -- the most in the eagles nfl Majors. The 20 this season are the fourth most for any year since 1998. ast season produced 28 such games, '09 saw 23 and '06 witnessed 21. Williams' start produced a game score of 80. CardinalsExactly two years after he last threw a shutout, the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter threw a four-hitter and blanked the Brewers, 2-0. Carpenter's previous shutout on Sept. 7, 2009, also came against Milwauk eagles nfl ee. It was Carpenter's 14th career shutout. The 14 are the second most among active players, with Halladay having 19. The start produced a game score of 82. The Cardinals' win, coupled with a loss by the Braves, moved St. Louis to within 6 1/2 games of Atlanta for the lead in the NL Wild Card standings. The two clubs have a three-game series in St. Louis this coming weekend. The Cardinals are 2-1 eagles nfl against the Braves this season. McCutchenPittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs to give him 22 for the season. The eight total bases in the game gave McCutchen 244 for the season and 704 for his three-year career. In Pirates franchise history, those 704 extra-base hits are the seventh most for any player in his first three seasons. Pirates -- Most Total Bases Thro eagles nfl ugh First three SeasonsPlayerExtra-base hitsPaul Waner954Ralph Kiner873Lloyd Waner861Glenn Wright767Arky Vaughan764Barry Bonds707Andrew McCutchen704Here and there #149; David Price struck out five to bring his season total to 200 -- the first time in his four-year career he has reached the milestone. Price owns a career mark of 8.15 strikeouts per nine innings. Since 1893, that rate is 10th highes eagles nfl t for all southpaws with at least 500 innings through their first four years. #149; Oakland's Jemile Weeks went 4-for-5 with a double for his first career four-hit game and 29th multihit game of his 80-game career. Those 29 multihit games through a player's first 80 are fourth most for an Athletics player since 1919. Manny Jimenez had 35, Wid Matthews had 34 and Wally Moses had 33. #149; Behi eagles nfl nd R.A. Dickey's seven shutout innings, the Mets beat the Marlins, 1-0. It was the 52nd 1-0 game this season, leaving 2011 now 10 shy of matching the final tally for last year. #149; The starts by Moscoso, Williams and Carpenter gave the 2011 season 152 outings that produced a game score of at least 80. Since the Majors expanded to 30 teams in 1998, that total is the second most in any one sea eagles nfl son. Most games scores of 80 or more since 1998 SeasonSeasonStarts19981712011152201015020021452009135 #149; Will Venable hit his fifth leadoff home run of the season in the Padres' 3-1 victory over the Giants. Those five are a single-season record for San Diego. #149; San Francisco's Brett Pill joined John Bowker as the only Giants players since 1919 to homer in each of their first two Major Lea eagles nfl gue games. Overall, Pill is the 18th player since '19 to homer in career games Nos. 1 and 2. No player in this span has homered in each of his first three career games. #149; Carlos Pena's three-run homer off of southpaw Bill Bray proved to be the difference in the Cubs' 6-3 victory over the Reds. Pena entered the at-bat against Bray with 14 hits in 104 at-bats (.135) vs. lefties this season, eagles nfl while Bray was holding left-handed hitters to a .188 (15-for-80) mark. eagles nfl
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