"Dan Haren was better than the best.

Haren outpitched Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander (considered, in most quarters, the best pitcher in the American League this season), holding a potent Tigers lineup to just two hits in a complete-game shutout as the Angels won 1-0 on Tuesday night.

"Dan should frame that one because that was incredible," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "That's a very tough lineup over there and he's matched up with Verlander so you know there's not going to be a lot of room for error."

So Haren made almost none. With one out in the third inning, he allowed a ringing triple off the wall in center field that not even Angels outfielder Peter Bourjos could catch up to. And he allowed a leadoff single to Jhonny Peralta in the fifth.

That was it. Haren retired the final 15 Tigers in order after Peralta's single. He struck out nine, didn't walk a batter and missed the strike zone with just 35 of his 122 pitches while winning his second consecutive 1-0 game and recording his 100th career victory. He becomes one of 34 active pitchers with at least 100 victories and at age 30 is younger than all but three of them.

"Personally, that means a lot to me — I don't know if I'm going to win 200 more," Haren said jokingly.

The shutout was Haren's second this season but might have been even more impressive than that one-hitter against the Indians back in April.

"Yeah -- because even in that game I didn't have everything working," Haren said. "Tonight, I had everything working and especially doing it against that team. Their lineup is one of the best along with Texas, New York and Boston. The middle of that lineup is tough."

Haren tamed the Tigers' middle three (Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez), holding them to a combined 0 for 10 with two strikeouts thanks in part to a split-fingered fastball that returned from a mid-season sabbatical and "was the best split we've seen Dan have," according to Scioscia."