Justin Verlander summoned athletic trainer Kevin Rand and pitching coach Jeff Jones to the clubhouse after the seventh inning to examine a callus on his thumb that had begun to bleed. He wanted to stay in the game -- and would have kept pitching if it were already October, and not just mid-May. Verlander struck out eight to win his fourth straight decision, and the Detroit Tigers beat the ailing Oakland Athletics 3-1 on Sunday to salvage a series split.
