Verlander (2-1) earned the victory and pitched seven innings, striking out eight and allowing one run on four hits in a 3-2 win Thursday over Texas.
Verlander retired 19 of the first 20 batters he faced before giving up three consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. He was efficient and had stellar command, having only one three-ball count. The 39-year-old had only pitched six innings in the previous two seasons combined but now leads all of baseball with 26 innings pitched through his first four starts. He's been nothing short of phenomenal with a 1.73 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB ratio.