Until the Tigers put the game away for good with a couple insurance runs off Casilla in the 8th, this game pretty much delivered on its advance notice.
The A's were actually successful in being able to get men on in bunches against Verlander -- just not in big enough bunches.
Haren was sharp and effective in the zone -- but surrendered a couple of meatballs to the strong Tiger lineup.
The fundamental difference between the two teams' lineups was thrown into sharper relief today. The A's current 5-9 offers a weak brew (Kotsay, in particular, seems to have caught Kendallitis, with his SLG on the verge of following his OBP beneath .300), whereas the Tigers, even with Inge a fixture in the lineup and A's-slayer Polanco out today, present a challenge up and down the lineup.
Haren made fewer mistakes than Verlander today (and the A's made fewer fielding miscues), but the Tigers were better able to exploit mistakes than the A's were.
