J.D. Martinez, Justin Verlander propel Tigers to needed victory

12:25 AM ET

DETROIT — Turns out those blind darts hit the mark. Or at least one of them did.

Manager Brad Ausmus made a key lineup change before Wednesday’s game against the Oakland Athletics, simply hoping to shake something loose amid the Detroit Tigers’ listless bats. After staunchly sticking by Justin Upton in the two-hole through the first 19 games of the season, Ausmus dropped the scuffling outfielder to the fifth spot and swapped J.D. Martinez into his place instead, hoping to stoke the production of both players.

Whether it would amount to anything more than a placebo effect, he wasn’t sure.

“Quite frankly, it’s just throwing a blind dart, hoping something clicks,” he said.

Justin Verlander continues to round into form, giving the Tigers a nice 1-2 punch atop their rotation. Duane Burleson/Getty Images

It did click for Martinez, who not only blistered a three-run homer in the second inning, but also doubled, hit a sacrifice fly, and worked a walk in his four at-bats during a resounding 9-4 win against the Athletics.

Martinez was bound to break out, Ausmus said, declining to take credit for the lineup tweak.

“I’m not a gloater,” he said.

Whether it was …

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