Verlander, Inge pace Tigers' win

The Tigers' Brandon Inge gets a broken-bat single in the eighth Sunday against the Brewers.

DETROIT - Any thoughts of a repeat no-hitter for Justin Verlander left the park along with that first-inning homer he gave up.

Settling for another win against Milwaukee would have to do.

In his second start against the Brewers, and with the same plate umpire as in his no-hitter, Verlander pitched into the eighth and Brandon Inge hit a three-run homer to lead the Tigers to a 3-2 win over Milwaukee.

"It was ironic to even have the same home-plate umpire, but you can't go into a game thinking about doing something like that," Verlander said. "That's just something where everything in the world goes your way for a night. Besides, it was all gone pretty quickly."

His only other start against Milwaukee had also been with Ron Kulpa behind the plate. Of course, any thoughts of a repeat ended when Casey McGehee homered with one out in the first.

Verlander, though, didn't allow another run until the eighth inning.

"When I saw him in 2007 with Oakland, he had a fastball and a curveball, and he was pretty good," Milwaukee manager Ken Macha said. "Now he's got a change-up and a slider. That's how a pitcher takes a step to the next level."

Verlander (8-3) allowed two runs on five hits in 72/3 innings. He struck out eight while improving to 8-1 since April 27.

"The way you win in the majors is to have enough hot players to pick up the guys who might not be," Inge said. "Right now, Verlander and [Edwin] Jackson have been carrying us, and there will be a time where we carry them."

Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 14th straight save.

Yovani Gallardo (7-4) shut out the Tigers for the first five innings, but allowed Inge's two-out homer to left in the sixth after singles by Miguel Cabrera and Don Kelly.

"That was a great start by Yo - that's as good as we've gotten in a while," Macha said. "He hung a two-out slider and the guy hits a three-run homer. That was about the only thing he did wrong, but we didn't get many chances against the other guy."

Verlander got a break in the top of the fourth when J.J. Hardy hit what looked like a perfect hit-and-run single with two out, but the ball bounced off Mat Gamel's leg for an out.

"He didn't pick up the ball, and you have to do that," Macha said. "When you are running in that situation, you've got to use your other senses, and if you hear the crack of the bat, you have to find the ball."

NOTES: The Tigers optioned rookie reliever Ryan Perry to Triple-A Toledo after the game.