DETROIT (AP) — the most emotional games of his major league career.He still wasn’t prepared.In his return to Detroit http://www.marinersfanproshop.com/authentic-edgar-martinez-jersey , Verlander received three standing ovations while pitching the Houston Astros to a 3-2 victory over the Tigers on Monday night.Verlander (15-9) made his major league debut with the Tigers in 2005 and ranks among the top 10 on several of the team’s career lists. He struck out 10 over seven innings in his first time on the Comerica Park mound since being traded to Houston in August 2017.“Our hotel is right near my old house, so I got to spend some time in the neighborhood today,” he said. “I was trying to keep my routine as much as possible.”That hope ended early, as the scoreboard played a tribute video as Verlander was walking in from the bullpen after his pregame warmups. He stopped, alone in shallow right-center field, and watched the entire show.“It was almost normal until the tribute video, but that really got to me,” he said. “I had a lot of great memories in my 13 years here, and that brought it all back. I wanted to get to the dugout before it started, but once it started playing, I had to watch.”Verlander received his first ovation at the end of the video, and another when he came out for the first inning. Each time, he tipped his cap and waved to the fans.The longest cheer, though, came when he walked off the mound after the seventh, having thrown 104 pitches.“The one after the seventh really meant the world to me,” he said. “The fans here were always great to be here, and they showed that again tonight. That was a really emotional moment.”The crowd was announced at 19 Jay Buhner Jersey ,711 — the Detroit Lions opened their season next door Monday night against the New York Jets.“Tonight mattered a lot to him,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said. “It is important to him that he pitched here and succeeded here, so it was special for him to get back on that mound.”The World Series champion Astros opened a three-game lead over Oakland atop the AL West despite a sloppy game that came after a Sunday night loss in Boston.“I’m proud of our guys, because there was a lot going on today, and we didn’t play our best game, but we still found a way to pull out a win,” Hinch said.Verlander allowed two runs on six hits and one walk, improving to 98-50 at Comerica Park. Max Scherzer is second in career wins at the stadium with 46, while Jordan Zimmermann leads current Tigers with 14.“He got exactly the response he deserved from our fans,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He was a great pitcher here for a long time, and he did a lot of great things for this city.”The Tigers put two runners on in the seventh, but Verlander struck out JaCoby Jones and Jeimer Candelario to escape with a 3-2 lead. He tipped his cap again as the fans came to their feet after the final pitch to Candelario.“This was a special night,” Verlander said.Roberto Osuna worked the ninth for his 16th save, including seven with Houston.Francisco Liriano (4-10) allowed three unearned runs on four hits and four walks in six innings. He struck out seven in his longest outing since pitching six innings on July 4.The Tigers took the lead in the second. Niko Goodrum doubled and later scored on a single by Dawel Lugo.Liriano’s wild pitch and an error by shortstop Ronny Rodriguez allowed the Astros to score three unearned runs in the third. Tyler White and Marwin Gonzalez hit RBI singles, while the Tigers failed to turn two potential double plays.“You have to make plays,” Gardenhire said. “When you miss plays, that’s what always happens. We had a chance to get some outs, didn’t do it Denard Span Jersey , and it cost us runs.”Verlander settled down after the second, retiring the next nine batters. Candelario walked to start the sixth, Christin Stewart followed with his first major league hit and Nicholas Castellanos had a sacrifice fly.“If someone had told me that I was going to get my first hit off Justin Verlander in my first major league start . geez,” Stewart said. “It was a pretty out-of-body experience.”Castellanos made a leaping catch at the right field fence to take an extra-base hit away from Gonzalez in the eighth.Josh Reddick, in the game for Houston as a defensive replacement, started an inning-ending double play in the eighth with a sliding catch in left field.EARLY STARTThe game started at 6:10 p.m., an hour earlier than originally scheduled, to try to ease traffic congestion with the Lions playing at Ford Field. A day game wasn’t possible because of the Astros playing on Sunday night in Boston.UP NEXTThe teams continue their three-game series Tuesday night with Zimmermann (7-6, 4.03 ERA) facing Houston’s Framber Valdez (3-1, 1.37). ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marco Gonzales has himself in position for an upbeat finish to easily the best season of his career.Now the Seattle left-hander knows for sure his final start, if he gets another one, won’t have any impact on the postseason.Robinson Cano broke a scoreless tie with a three-run homer in the fifth inning while Gonzales allowed one hit in six innings, but the Mariners were eliminated from the AL wild-card race despite a 13-0 trouncing of the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.The longest playoff drought among the four major pro sports was extended to 17 years when Oakland finished off Seattle’s fading hopes with a 3-2 win against Minnesota, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth about an hour after the Mariners’ victory.Seattle inherited the longest postseason absence last December when the Buffalo Bills ended a 17-year drought by making the NFL playoffs.Gonzales (13-9) faced one batter over the minimum while allowing his fewest hits in 42 career starts for his first win since July 29. The left-hander walked one and got a double play grounder from Jurickson Profar right after allowing a single to Delino DeShields.The 26-year-old Gonzales allowed two hits twice this season, both times over seven innings. He had five major league wins before this breakthrough year.“At this point, I’m just trying to focus on recovery and trying to bounce back from every start and just trying to keep everything the same,” Gonzales said. “Just trying to find that beginning/middle season rhythm. That’s kind of the goal as we get towards the end here.”Manager Scott Servais wouldn’t commit to one more start for Gonzales http://www.marinersfanproshop.com/authentic-edgar-martinez-jersey , who has made 28 after a career-high eight last year — one for St. Louis and seven for the Mariners following a trade.“It certainly looks like he’s got plenty left in the tank,” Servais said. “He does want to finish it off.”Mike Zunino connected for his 20th homer , a solo shot in the sixth as the Mariners topped their previous season high of 12 runs. Cano, who added an RBI double and had three hits, has nine homers — five since returning from an 80-game drug suspension Aug. 14.Dee Gordon connected for his third homer, a two-run shot in the eighth off Bartolo Colon in the 45-year-old’s fourth relief appearance to go with 24 starts. Mitch Haniger extended his hitting streak to 11 games with three hits and scored three runs.Mike Minor (12-8) allowed six hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts for the last-place Rangers, who matched their largest losing margin of the season in their 11th loss in 15 games.“What hurt him more than anything was just the pitch count,” interim manager Don Wakamatsu said. “He made the one mistake to Cano and that cost him. He pitched out of some jams, but it was some really good fastballs, elevated fastballs.”CRANKING CANOThe eight-time All-Star is 11 of 15 on a four-game hitting streak. His four RBIs were a season high.DRAB DAYS INDEEDThe Rangers were shut out for the third time in five games on their final homestand, a day after manager Jeff Banister was fired and replaced by Wakamatsu. The 13-run margin matched a 16-3 loss to Cleveland on July 21.TRAINER’S ROOMMariners: LHP James Paxton, who is battling pneumonia and flu, threw a bullpen session. Manager Scott Servais said Paxton is hoping to start Monday at home against Oakland. The Mariners finish the season with seven games in Seattle.UP NEXTMariners LHP Wade LeBlanc (8-4, 3.49 ERA) opposes fellow lefty Martin Perez (2-6, 6.33) in the Rangers’ home finale. LeBlanc is 38-39 in his 10-year career. Perez is making his first start since getting demoted to the bullpen Aug. 29. He had a 2.45 ERA in six relief appearances after the move. Perez’s past three outings were scoreless.