SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- WXYZ-TV chooses Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander as the 2011 Newsmaker of the Year.

Magglio Ordonez and Brandon Inge each had two RBI Tuesday when the Detroit Tigers beat Minnesota 6-5 to split a doubleheader. Minnesota won the first game 3-2 to close to within one game of Detroit in the American League Central race.

Brandon Inge contributed the first of three straight RBI singles in a four-run fourth Thursday and Detroit survived a shaky ninth to nip Cleveland 6-5. The Indians lost their 11th straight, falling to a team that picked up a key three-game sweep in its bid to claim a division title. Detroit moved three games in front of idle Minnesota in the American League Central with 10 games to play.

Placido Polanco's two-out, three-run home run in the eighth inning pushed Detroit into the lead and the Tigers held on Sunday to edge the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3. Polanco homered off Grant Balfour with Clete Thomas and Curtis Granderson on base. Granderson singled in the other run for Detroit, which has

Miguel Cabrera knocked in five runs, including two in a 7-run sixth inning, in helping the Detroit Tigers to a 10-7 win Monday over the Los Angeles Angels. Cabrera had a run-scoring double in the first, a two-run home run in the fifth and a double that drove in two runs in the sixth inning as Detroit built a 10-0 lead in support of Justin Verlander (14-7). Verlander gave up four runs in the sixth inning but had a better outing than Angels starter Jered Weaver, who was charged with five runs over 5 1/3 innings in falling to 13-5. Cabrera staked the Tigers to a 3-0 lead before the decisive sixth inning.