Verlander (9-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-1 victory over the A's, giving up one run on four hits and two walks over eight innings while striking out eight.
A solo shot by Stephen Piscotty in the second inning was the only blemish on Verlander's night. The right-hander now has 11 quality starts on the year, including five straight, and he's in rarefied territory on the all-time strikeouts list -- Saturday's performance moved him past Cy Young into 21st place with 2,809 career K's. Up next on the list: Mike Mussina at 2,813 strikeouts and a spot in the top 20, a feat Verlander should achieve Thursday in Seattle.