OAKLAND, Calif. -- Justin Verlander dominated. The Detroit Tigers needed him to.

The Tigers continued to struggle offensively Sunday afternoon but scratched out a 3-1 victory over the Oakland A's thanks to the pitching of Verlander and a great at-bat from Austin Jackson.

Verlander (4-1) allowed just two hits and one walk in seven innings pitched. He struck out out eight and threw 104 pitches.

The Tigers have been struggling offensively, so it seemed fitting that the biggest at-bat of the game for them didn't even involve a hit.

With the bases loaded and the game tied 1-1 in the sixth inning, Jackson worked relief pitcher Grant Balfour for a walk in an eight-pitch at-bat. Jackson got ahead in the count 3-1, then fouled off three consecutive pitches before taking a look at ball four. That drove Brennan Boesch home with the eventual winning run.

Verlander got off to a great start and retired 11 straight -- four on strikeouts -- to start the game before Josh Reddick reached base with a single to center with two outs in the fourth. Reddick went all the way to third on an errant pickoff throw to first from Verlander but was stranded there when Verlander struck out Johnny Gomes to end the inning.

The Tigers had plenty of opportunities early in the game but couldn't push any runs across home plate. Back-to-back singles by Andy Dirks and Miguel Cabrera in the first put two on with one out, but the Tigers stranded them.

The Tigers had runners at second and third with one out in the second inning and eventually loaded the bases with two outs, but they stranded all three runners when Dirks popped up to shortstop to end the inning.

The Tigers scratched out a run in the fifth inning to take a 1-0 lead. Jackson singled with one out, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single by Cabrera.

The A's bounced right back in the bottom of the inning when Seth Smith hit a home run over the wall in right field to tie the game at 1-1.

A's starter Jarrod Parker retired the first two batters he faced in the sixth inning before the Tigers loaded the bases on a double by Brennan Boesch and walks to Jhonny Peralta and Ryan Raburn. That's when Jackson worked Balfour for the walk to make it 2-1.

Balfour then struck out Dirks to end the inning and strand more three baserunners. It was the second time in the game Dirks made the final out of an inning with the bases loaded.

The Tigers tacked on an insurance run in the ninth inning. Raburn laced a double off the wall to lead off the inning and Jackson drew a walk after failing to bunt Raburn to third. Danny Worth pinch-hit for Dirks and bunted, but the A's got the lead runner at third, leaving runners at first and second with one out.

Cabrera singled to left field past A's shortstop Cliff Pennington score Jackson from second to make it 3-1.

Joaquin Benoit walked the leadoff runner in the eighth inning but kept the A's off the board to preserve what was a one-run lead at that point. Benoit struck out the final two batters he faced. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth and earned his seventh save.

Prince Fielder went 0-for-5 with a strikeout and is now hitless in his last 22 at-bats, the longest such streak of his career. Cabrera went 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Boesch had two hits.

The Tigers went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10.

Parker allowed two runs on six hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out five.