Verlander provides another true ace effort

DETROIT — The Tigers have withstood injuries and stayed in contention with three young pitchers in their rotation. Friday was a reminder why their chances still rely on the veteran ace.

“He’s battle-tested,” manager Brad Ausmus said of Justin Verlander after Friday’s 4-2 win over the Angels drew the Tigers within one game in the American League Wild Card race. “I’m never worried about Verlander, especially with how he’s pitched over the last 13 months.

In some ways, Verlander got the Tigers to this point before the season. His second-half resurgence last year, Ausmus explained, was a big reason the Tigers believed they could contend again with a few offseason moves.

As they head to the end of August, they’re very much competing. And Verlander, more than belief, pitched them into a chance win Friday night.

As Verlander watched Albert Pujols’ 585th career home run carry out in the first inning, he was struggling to find the feel on his fastball and slider. The righty had located a first-pitch fastball on the corner, then left the next one over the plate. When Verlander took the mound for the third inning, he said, he tried to use his warmup tosses on finding that …

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