MINNEAPOLIS -- Justin Verlander has picked up his teammates many times this season. Saturday, they returned the favor.
In a big way.
Verlander notched his 20th win when the Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-4, at Target Field.
He is the first Tiger to win 20 since Bill Gullickson in 1991 and is the first in the majors to win 20 before the end of August since Curt Schilling of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2002.
"Feels great," Verlander said. "A team win."
Verlander struggled from the beginning, needing 28 pitches to escape the first inning.
"Didn't look good," said manager Jim Leyland.
Verlander settled in briefly before allowing back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning. A couple of two-out hits in the seventh inning helped the Tigers regain the lead, and the bullpen took over from there.
"Turned out to be a good day," said Leyland.
20th victory not vintage Verlander
Before Verlander took the mound Saturday to begin his attempt at 20 wins, the Minnesota Twins had lost six straight and nine of their past 10.
The Twins managed five runs in those six losses. Not once did they score more than one run in a game. And then Minnesota centerfielder Ben Revere hit a slow roller to shortstop Jhonny Peralta and legged out the throw. One batter later, Justin Morneau lifted a flare into shallow leftfield.
Even struggling teams stumble upon good bounces once in a while. Three batters into his start, the Tigers right-hander was stepping off the back of the mound trying to gather himself. He took a breath, retook the mound and struck out Jason Kubel with a sharp curveball for the second out of the inning. Instead of building on the momentum, Verlander walked Danny Valencia after falling behind, 3-0.
Suddenly, the chance at history looked uncertain.
Verlander couldn't control his fastball. Though he snapped a wicked breaking ball to freeze Kubel, he couldn't control that pitch either. When asked what pitch he struggled with, he said: "Name a pitch. Any pitch."
After walking Valencia to load the bases, Verlander induced a foul pop-up from Rene Tosoni to escape the inning. Verlander had wasted 28 pitches. Or about a fourth of the total Leyland had in mind when thinking about how long he would let his star pitch in chase of the milestone victory.
Leyland thought Verlander was "a little overamped before the game." Verlander said he felt fine.
Whatever the case, home runs by Miguel Cabrera and Alex Avila in the second inning gave Verlander a two-run lead and an opportunity to get back out and settle down. He did momentarily. And faced just three batters that inning -- he was helped by a double play.
Verlander struck out two in the third and got through the fourth with an easy 1-2-3. As Leyland said, he appeared to finally find his rhythm. Meanwhile, his teammates continued to score. In the fifth, Ryan Raburn hit an RBI double for a 3-0 lead, and Austin Jackson singled in another to make it 4-0.
All of which made what happened in the fifth more surprising. Verlander gave up a first-pitch home run to Luke Hughes. Jason Repko followed with another home run -- his first of the season. An inning later, Hughes rapped a two-out, two-run double off the wall to tie the game, and Verlander's shot at 20 was fading.
Yet this Saturday wasn't just about a pitcher reaching a milestone. It also was about a surging team continuing to make plays in a pennant race as fall approaches. In the seventh, two of the team's recent additions made crucial contributions.
Third baseman Wilson Betemit opened the inning with a single. Then, after Jackson walked -- Leyland called it the biggest at-bat of the game -- Delmon Young smacked a two-out single to break the tie. Cabrera also hit an RBI single, and the Tigers quickly squelched Minnesota's momentum.
Verlander returned for the seventh and gave up a single to No. 9 hitter Drew Butera. Leyland walked to the mound and asked for the ball. Verlander drew cheers from Tigers fans as he headed for the dugout. Somehow, on an afternoon when he didn't have near his best stuff -- he'd still given his team at shot at victory.
The bullpen took over with three scoreless innings, and Verlander got his 20th.
"Today we picked him up," said Leyland. "He's been picking us up all year."
Verlander planned on celebrating the achievement Saturday night, but insisted he had work to do beginning today. He wants to work on a few things. He was proud of the way he battled. Proud of his teammates. Proud to get to 20 so early in the season -- no American League pitcher has reached the 20-win plateau before September since Roger Clemens in 1997.
That he did it on a day that started so poorly says even more, and only adds to his expanding aura.
Contact SHAWN WINDSOR: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com