DETROIT — Alex Avila and Torii Hunter hit homers in a five-run second inning and the Detroit Tigers scored five more runs in the fourth inning of an 11-1 rout of the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.
Tigers finish sweep of Nationals with 11-1 win without Cabrera and with Peralta still in game
By LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer
July 31, 2013 at 8:23PM
The AL Central-leading Tigers took the two-game series. They have won five straight and nine of 10 to move 16 games over .500 for the first time this season, but they're not in the mood to celebrate. Miguel Cabrera was out of the lineup, a day after aggravating an injury, and Jhonny Peralta was in it perhaps for the last time in a long time.
Justin Verlander (11-8) shook off a shaky start by giving up one run, four hits and five walks while striking out six over six innings.
Gio Gonzalez (7-4) gave up 10 runs — one short of his career high — and 11 hits over 3 1-3 innings.
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LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer
Talk of competing for the best players or of a potential new owner wielding big bucks doesn’t change this: They are last in popularity among the four major men’s pro sports.
