Cole (15-5) earned the win Thursday after holding the Tigers scoreless while striking out 12 over seven innings. He allowed two hits and one walk.
Despite missing more than two weeks with hamstring soreness, the right-hander's velocity hit 99 mph in the first inning and stayed high all night. Cole's strikeout of Jake Rogers in the sixth inning -- his 10th of the game -- matched a franchise record of 14 games in one season with 10 strikeouts or more. The 28-year-old now owns a ridiculous 2.75 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 238:40 K:BB, and he falls just one strikeout behind teammate Justin Verlander. Cole is scheduled to take the hill again on Wednesday against Tampa Bay.