Verlander sharp as Tigers win exhibition opener

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Starter Jair Jurrjens yielded two runs in two innings but prospect Jordan Schaefer homered in the Atlanta Braves spring training opener, a 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday afternoon.

Detroit's Justin Verlander opened with two shutout innings against the Braves.

Detroit scored on Miguel Cabrera's first-inning sacrifice fly that scored Curtis Granderson. Gerald Laird tripled and doubled in his first two at-bats for the Tigers, scoring on a wild pitch in the second inning and Adam Everett's sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Atlanta tied it in the fifth on Brian McCann's sacrifice fly and Freddie Freeman's two-run single, then went ahead in the seventh on Jordan Schaefer's leadoff homer. The Tigers tied it in the bottom of the seventh on a Casper Wells single that scored Ramon Santiago, and Santiago put Detroit ahead with an RBI single in the eighth.

Japanese import Fu-Te Ni got the win for the Tigers after pitching a scoreless eighth inning, retiring all three batters he faced. Kyle Bloom pitched a scoreless ninth.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/2/218134