DETROIT -AP- Justin Verlander pitched into the eighth inning and Justin Upton homered for the fourth time in five games as the Detroit Tigersbeat the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 on Friday night.The Tigers have won five straight to move back into contention in both the AL Central and wild-card races.Upton was hitting .226 when Tigers manager Brad Ausmus held him out of the starting lineup for three days last week. 
Since returning on Saturday, he's batting .417 with seven extra-base hits and 11 RBI in six games.Verlander (14-7) allowed two runs and four hits in 7 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out eight in his ninth straight quality start.Francisco Rodriguez got the last four outs for his 36th save.Ricky Nolasco (4-12) held the Tigers scoreless for the first five innings, but ended up allowing four runs, nine hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings.Albert Pujols gave the Angels a 1-0 lead in the first, hitting his 585th career homer. He came into the game hitting .360 against the Tigers, the best average in baseball since 2001. It was Pujols' first regular-season homer off Verlander, though he did hit one off the Tigers ace in the 2006 World Series.The Tigers had runners on second and third with no outs in the second, but J.D. Martinez was easily thrown out at the plate trying to score onCasey McGehee's grounder. James McCann popped out, and long-time Angel Erick Aybar walked in his first plate appearance against his old teammates.That loaded the bases for Ian Kinsler, and he lined out to center. Neither team threatened again until the Tigers put runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth, but Miguel Cabrera hit the ball to almost the same place as Kinsler.Detroit broke through in the sixth, tying the game on consecutive doubles by Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez, and Upton hit the next pitch into the stands in left field to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.Cameron Maybin added a solo homer in the seventh. Verlander didn't allow a hit after the first inning until Kaleb Cowart's one-out single in the eighth. Cowart, though, scored on Kole Calhoun's two-out double.That brought in Rodriguez, and he walked Mike Trout to put the tying run on base. Pujols hit an 0-1 pitch deep down the line in left, but it hooked foul. Rodriguez uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners to second and third.Pujols, though, grounded out on the next pitch to end the threat.
Since returning on Saturday, he's batting .417 with seven extra-base hits and 11 RBI in six games.Verlander (14-7) allowed two runs and four hits in 7 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out eight in his ninth straight quality start.Francisco Rodriguez got the last four outs for his 36th save.Ricky Nolasco (4-12) held the Tigers scoreless for the first five innings, but ended up allowing four runs, nine hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings.Albert Pujols gave the Angels a 1-0 lead in the first, hitting his 585th career homer. He came into the game hitting .360 against the Tigers, the best average in baseball since 2001. It was Pujols' first regular-season homer off Verlander, though he did hit one off the Tigers ace in the 2006 World Series.The Tigers had runners on second and third with no outs in the second, but J.D. Martinez was easily thrown out at the plate trying to score onCasey McGehee's grounder. James McCann popped out, and long-time Angel Erick Aybar walked in his first plate appearance against his old teammates.That loaded the bases for Ian Kinsler, and he lined out to center. Neither team threatened again until the Tigers put runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth, but Miguel Cabrera hit the ball to almost the same place as Kinsler.Detroit broke through in the sixth, tying the game on consecutive doubles by Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez, and Upton hit the next pitch into the stands in left field to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.Cameron Maybin added a solo homer in the seventh. Verlander didn't allow a hit after the first inning until Kaleb Cowart's one-out single in the eighth. Cowart, though, scored on Kole Calhoun's two-out double.That brought in Rodriguez, and he walked Mike Trout to put the tying run on base. Pujols hit an 0-1 pitch deep down the line in left, but it hooked foul. Rodriguez uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners to second and third.Pujols, though, grounded out on the next pitch to end the threat.
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