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Before the match on Wednesday night against the Houston Astros Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire gave him a hand.

The Tigers were going to try new things against the old ace of Justin Verlander, all they could to get him out of his game.

"It has never worked before," is imperturbable Gardenhire.

The result of the game was apparently decided before even starting: the Astros, one of the best baseball teams, brought Verlander to the hill, with an attack that would certainly wreak havoc on Gregory Soto's two-handed left-hand duo and Nick Ramirez, both resting for three days.

The Tigers lost 5-1, but the game was more competitive than that.

Verlander dominated the Tigers, allowing a point on two hits in seven innings, and the Astros (29-15) scored five. They took the lead of an Alex Bregman solo home run in front of the first and never lost it.

With this victory, Verlander is 2-1 against the Tigers (18-23) during his career. He won both starts at Comerica Park.

More: Is Miguel Cabrera afraid to face the "best friend" Justin Verlander?

Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros faces the Detroit Tigers in the first round on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at Comerica Park. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

The night of Verlander

As expected, he was too much for the Tigers. The only run he allowed was in the third inning of JaCoby Jones, a monster in the fourth inning. Verlander eliminated nine batters, walked two and lowered his ERA to 2.38. The Tigers threatened only once, when they loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but Niko Goodrum was lined up on the second base. Verlander is 2-1 against the Tigers.

More: How will the Detroit Tigers manage their shortage of starting pitchers?

L & # 39; opens

For the first time, the Tigers used an "opening match" in Wednesday night's game, with southpaw southpaw Gregory Soto, who started the heats, followed by fellow southpaw Nick Ramirez. The experience – out of necessity, given the lack of starting Tigers pitchers – went off without a hitch: Soto conceded two runs in two sets and Ramirez allowed two runs, one earned run, out of four.

Detroit Tigers Gregory Soto clash with the Houston Astros in the first run on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at Comerica Park. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

Change of momentum

With Verlander in charge, the Tigers charged the bases in fifth place after Josh Harrison tripled, followed by back-to-back marches. With many big pitchers, the teams have only one opportunity to seize. For the Tigers, it was theirs. But with two outs, Goodrum broke a line that Houston's second baseman, Aledmys Diaz, jumped to catch to end the inning. In the next round, shortstop Ronny Rodriguez and third baseman Jeimer Candelario made mistakes that led to an overtime for the Astros.

After the match, Gardenhire announced that the Tigers were opting for Candelario at Triple-A Toledo. Candelario was 0.22 on the season, with just nine more base wins out of 146 in bats. A corresponding move will be announced Thursday.

Contact Anthony Fenech at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech. Learn more about the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our newsletter.