Game 21: Tigers Ruhle, Take Series with Brewers

Detroit (May 8) - Vern Ruhle hasn't been, yet, one of the Tigers' most reliable starters, on a staff with a team ERA among the league leaders. Tonight, he took a step in that direction.

Ruhle pitched 7.1 innings, yielding just one run and six hits, and the Tigers' bats took care of the rest in a 5-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Tiger Stadium.

Gary Sutherland (first) and Dan Meyer (third) each hit home runs. Meyer's two-run blast in the eighth inning proved the difference, giving the Tigers a 5-1 lead, which was helpful, as the Brewers scored twice in the ninth.

The Tigers (9-12) took two of three from the Brewers and have won two straight.

Ruhle dominated the Brewers in lowering his ERA from 5.75 to 4.55.

"Felt good," Ruhle said. "Had my slider working, which helped a lot."

The Tigers hit three triples in a game for the first time since 1971.

Tigers manager Ralph Houk wanted to talk about his starting pitcher, however.



"I thought a key was in the sixth," Houk said, referring to the inning where Milwaukee put runners on first and second with nobody out---without hitting the ball out of the infield. The Tigers were clinging to a 2-0 lead.

Ruhle didn't unravel. He retired the next three hitters, including slugger George Scott on a strikeout to end the frame.

The Tigers extended their lead to 3-0 in the seventh, then Meyer clubbed his home run after the Brewers knocked Ruhle out in the eighth after scoring a run.

John Hiller surrendered a two-run homer to Sixto Lezcano in the ninth, but then set the next three Brewers down in order for his fourth save of the year.

Sutherland continued his torrid 1975, adding a triple to his home run and running his average to .395. He leads the league in both batting average and hits (34).

"I don't know that Suds has ever hit this well for this long a stretch," Houk said.

"He's probably right," Sutherland said when told of Houk's comments.

The Tigers welcome the Texas Rangers and manager Billy Martin for a weekend series, starting tomorrow night.

Notes: Nate Colbert, after one game on the bench, was back in the starting lineup---but batting fifth, not fourth. "Just trying to take some pressure off him," Houk said. Colbert went 0-for-4 and his average sunk to .113...Houk also praised Tom Veryzer's at-bat in the third. Veryzer hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Leon Roberts, who had led off with a triple. But Aurelio Rodriguez struck out before Veryzer came to the plate. "Leadoff triple, you have to score," Houk said. "And Tommy fought off some good pitches and got the fly ball. Huge at-bat."

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Tigers record: 9-12 (actual 12-9)
Home: 4-8
Away: 5-4