The Oakland Athletics hosted the Detroit Tigers on Sunday in the final game of their four-game series at O.co Coliseum. The A's had won two straight but dropped the finale on Sunday by a final score of 3-1 as they ran up against the reigning AL Cy Young winner and MVP, Detroit ace Justin Verlander.
Oakland starter Jarrod Parker started off strong as well, but the Tigers got on the board in the top of the fifth inning on a Miguel Cabrera RBI single. Seth Smith hit a leadoff home run off of Verlander in the bottom of the fifth to tie things right back up, 1-1.
In the top of the sixth, Parker walked the bases loaded with two outs and Oakland brought in Grant Balfour to get the final out of the inning. Unfortunately, Balfour walked Austin Jackson to force in the second Tigers run, which would end up being the difference in the game.
In the top of the ninth, Cabrera hit another RBI single to tack on an insurance run and Jose Valverde had a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for the save.
Verlander struck out eight and walked one in seven innings, giving up just one run on two hits. Joaquin Benoit and Valverde would allow just one more Oakland baserunner, on a Benoit walk.
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