tie the game against the Twins, and Tigers went on to win 9–7 after a Brandon Inge RBI triple in the ninth. May 13: Making a bid to become the second pitcher in major league history to throw back-to-back no-hitters, Justin Verlander blanked the Kansas City Royals on no hits through 5.2 innings, before surrendering a triple to Melky Cabrera. The Tigers would go on to win their sixth straight, 3–1. May 14: Struggling starter Brad Penny righted himself with eight shutout innings, as the Tigers won their seventh straight, 3–0 over the Royals. Closer José Valverde picked up his 10th save in 10 opportunities. May 21: The streaky Tigers followed up their seven-game winning streak by losing five straight, this time dropping a 6–2 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates in an interleague game. May 22: The losing streak promptly ended as Rick Porcello tossed a one-hit gem over eight innings and the Tigers collected a 2–0 victory over the Pirates. May 23: Charlie Furbush, just brought up from the minors, pitched 3.2 shutout innings in relief of Phil Coke to earn his first big-league victory in a 6–3 decision over the Tampa Bay Rays. Outfielder Andy Dirks, brought up a week prior, hit his first major league home run. May 24: Despite Justin Verlander's worst outing of the season, the Tigers managed a 7–6 come-from-behind victory over the Rays. Alex Avila homered twice in the game, including the decisive two-run blow in the eighth inning. May 29: Justin Verlander blanked the Boston Red Sox over 7.2 innings, as the Tigers ended a modest three-game losing streak with a 3–0 win in the second game of a doubleheader. May 30: Detroit nipped Minnesota, 6–5, when a controversial fan interference call allowed Jhonny Peralta to score the deciding run in the eighth inning on an Alex Avila double. May 31: Tiger reliever Al Alburquerque won his second game in as many nights, as Detroit again won a 1-run decision over the Twins, 8–7. Joaquín Benoit, making a rare appearance as a closer because José Valverde had pitched in the three previous games, stranded two runners in the ninth for the save. The Tigers posted a 16–10 record in May to climb to 28–26 on the season, but still trailed the Indians by five games in the AL Central. June 4: Miguel Cabrera broke a 2–2 tie with a two-run homer in