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October 8, 2012

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Tigers, Athletics draw first blood

THE Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics 3-1 while the Cincinnati Reds won 5-2 at the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, claiming victories in the opening games of their divisional series in the Major League Baseball playoffs.

Tigers starter Justin Verlander shut down Oakland in Detroit after a leadoff homer. He matched his career postseason high with 11 strikeouts.

"Early on was kind of a bit of a battle for me," Verlander said. "Just kind of found my rhythm a little bit and was able to hit my spots better, and I started throwing my breaking ball for strikes"

The Tigers are the first home side to win in the playoffs, with both Atlanta and Texas beaten in the sudden-death wild-card games while the Giants were beaten by the Reds.

Cincinnati overcame the loss of starter Johnny Cueto to a back injury in the first inning and Reds manager Dusty Baker earned an emotional win after missing 11 games following a mini-stroke.

Game 2 features Bronson Arroyo (12-10) taking the ball for the Reds against San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner (16-11).

 

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