DETROIT _ The Detroit Tigers served trout in the press box before Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels and centerfielder Mike Trout.
Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe the Tigers hoped for an omen.
Whatever the reason, it worked. Justin Verlander carved up the Angels and Trout, serving them up them whole with a side of Rally Monkey in a 4-2 victory before 31,357 at Comerica Park.
Justin Upton hit a two-run home run _ his 17th of the season _ to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning. Cameron Maybin homered _ his third _ in the seventh for a 4-1 lead.
Trout went 0-for-3 against Verlander, with a strikeout. Trout worked an eighth-inning walk against Francisco Rodriguez, who picked up his 36th save.
Until the Tigers finally cracked the scoreboard in the sixth, it was Verlander's vintage performance that kept them in it. He allowed two earned runs with eight strikeouts and one walk in 72/3 innings. It was his ninth straight quality start.
Before the game, manager Brad Ausmus said Verlander was the kind of player who thrives during a playoff run.
"I think the brighter the light, the bigger stage, the better he can be," Ausmus said. "I think he enjoys the competition."
Verlander (14-7) didn't make a liar out of his skipper.
He gave up a home run to Albert Pujols _ his 25th _ in the first inning. But otherwise he was superb. He had a streak of five straight strikeouts in the third and fourth innings that included Trout and Pujols. He threw 111 pitches and fought until the end, striking out Cliff Pennington on his 108th pitch _ after a 10-pitch battle.
While Verlander worked his mound magic, the Tigers wasted two good chances to score.
In the second inning, J.D. Martinez led off with a single, followed by Upton's ground-rule double off Kaleb Cowart's glove at third base and into the stands. That put runners at second and third. But Martinez was thrown out at home when he tried to score on Casey's McGehee sharp grounder to shortstop, which Andrelton Simmons fired back to catcher Jett Bandy for an easy out.
After Erick Aybar walked, the Tigers had bases loaded but Nolasco got Ian Kinsler to pop out to center field.
In the fifth inning, the Tigers had another chance to break the goose egg. James McCann, who had four hits Thursday at Minnesota, led off with a single to rightfield. But McCann was caught stealing. Aybar walked. Kinsler lined out to right field. Then Cameron Maybin doubled to center. Trout's strong throw back to the infield forced Aybar to hold at third at third.
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Nolasco (4-12) allowed four runs on nine hits through 61/3 innings. Nolasco came to Detroit with a warm hand. The Angels acquired him from the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 1. In two previous starts at Comerica Park this season, Nolasco was 0-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings.
The Tigers finally got to Nolasco in the sixth. Victor Martinez opened with a double down the right-field line, then scored on J.D. Martinez's double to leftfield. Upton followed with his no-doubter to left. The Tigers led, 4-1, after Maybin's homer to right in the seventh.
In the eighth inning, the Angels cut the deficit to 4-2. Cowart singled to right, then scored on Kole Calhoun's double to right on Verlander's final pitch.
Rodriguez worked 11/3 innings and picked up his 422nd career save, which tied him for fifth all-time with Billy Wagner.
