DETROIT -- Justin Verlander may not touch 100 mph on the radar gun any longer, but he is still racking up the strikeouts.

The Detroit Tigers' longtime ace recorded the 2,000th of his career as part of a 10-strikeout performance Wednesday. He was more pleased that the Tigers complete a three-game sweep of the sloppy Minnesota Twins with a 6-3 win at Comerica Park.

"Numbers come with time, being out there on the field and trying to help your team win any way you can," he said. "Obviously, it's much nicer to be able to get it in a win, when I pitched well and helped us win."

Verlander (3-4) did not give up a run until the seventh inning as the Tigers won their fourth straight. He was charged with three runs on six hits and three walks in 7 1/3 innings.

Verlander reached his strikeout milestone by blowing a high fastball past Eddie Rosario during the fourth inning. The only other pitcher in franchise history to record that many strikeouts was Mickey Lolich, who had 2,679.

In his previous two starts, Verlander allowed only one earned run in 15 innings but didn't come away with a victory.

"It's just been better for me the last few," he said. "I felt really close a bunch of times early in the season, just a couple pitches here and there were costing me. I just had to refine it a little bit."

Second baseman Ian Kinsler also dented the record books by homering for the fourth consecutive game. He became the first Tiger to do that since Dick McAuliffe in April 1969.

Kinsler, who hit 11 home runs in 154 games last season, drove his team-high 10th homer of the season over the left field wall in the sixth.

Even he is a little surprised by the power surge.

"I'm not going to be in any home run derbies any time soon," said Kinsler, who also had two singles while scoring two runs and driving in a pair.

J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera each had two hits, a run and an RBI for Detroit. Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 11th save with a perfect ninth inning.

Minnesota starter Ricky Nolasco (1-2) allowed four runs -- two earned -- on nine hits in five innings. The Twins, who have lost 15 of their last 18, committed three errors along with several other fielding gaffes.

"Rough day for us again," Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. "Ricky didn't get what he deserved in terms of us backing him up. You've got to catch the ball, you've got to hit the cutoff man. Those kinds of things just jump out at you when you're playing poorly."

With Verlander mixing up his pitches and throwing in the mid-90s, the Twins couldn't make up for their fielding mistakes.

"He had a really good day," Molitor said. "The radar's not where it was if you go back a ways, but it seemed like we didn't get to too many fastballs all day until (Eduardo) Nunez go that one in the gap late."

Trevor Plouffe had two hits, a run and two RBIs for Minnesota.

The Tigers struck quickly, as Kinsler led off the bottom of the first with a single, advanced on a throwing error and scored on Martinez's single.

Martinez sparked a two-run third with a one-out triple to right-center. He scored on Cabrera's sacrifice fly. Justin Upton's RBI bloop single made it 3-0.

Kinsler had an RBI single in the fourth, then made it 5-0 in the sixth with his two-out solo shot off reliever Taylor Rogers.

Danny Santana's bases-loaded sacrifice fly ended Verlander's shutout bid in the seventh.

Steven Moya's RBI single in the seventh gave Detroit a 6-1 lead.

Plouffe's two-run single off reliever Alex Wilson in the eighth cut the Tigers' advantage to three.

NOTES: Detroit DH Victor Martinez was a late scratch from the lineup. The official announcement was that he took an extra day of rest heading into an off day Thursday. He appeared in every game this season before Wednesday. ... Twins SS Eduardo Escobar will begin a rehab stint with Class A Fort Myers this weekend, manager Paul Molitor announced. Escobar was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 7 due to a left groin strain. ... Tigers RHP Shane Greene will make a rehab start for Class A West Michigan on Friday at Fort Wayne, Ind. Greene was placed on the 15-day DL on April 29 because of a blister on his right middle finger. ... Molitor said RHP Phil Hughes, who is battling shoulder fatigue, is still scheduled to make his next start Sunday. Hughes, who got a no-decision Tuesday, will throw a side session Thursday.