Detroit Keeps Pedal to Metal

That steamroller the Detroit Tigers commandeered in Yankee Stadium last week must have been a hybrid, because they’re getting amazing mileage out of it and appear in no need of a pit stop.

From New York to Detroit to Oakland, the Tigers are gathering momentum like a hurricane over warm ocean waters, extending their string of playoff dominance with a 5-1 victory over the Athletics in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series in McAfee Coliseum on Tuesday night.

Brandon Inge, the No. 9 batter who was two for 15 in the division series, had a solo home run, a run-scoring double and a single, Ivan Rodriguez had a solo homer and a single, and left-hander Nate Robertson wobbled but did not fall down through five shutout innings.

The Tigers, fresh off three consecutive wins over New York in the division series, also tied a league championship series record by turning four double plays to notch the first game of the best-of-seven series.

Reliever Fernando Rodney followed Robertson with two shutout innings for Detroit, which held the vaunted Yankees scoreless for 20 consecutive innings during the last three games of the division series.

While a normally aggressive Detroit lineup discovered the power of patience, driving Oakland starter Barry Zito’s pitch count to 69 in the third inning and driving the left-hander out of the game in the fourth, all the A’s, who were 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position, could muster was a consolation run against Joel Zumaya in the eighth.

“That Yankees series really helped a lot -- we saw how important it is to focus on every pitch, every at-bat,” left fielder Craig Monroe said. “Pitchers are not tip-toeing around guys; they’re getting after it, being aggressive in the zone.

“The hitters are being patient, swinging at good pitches, and that’s allowing us to be a better team. Guys have definitely adapted to the playoff atmosphere. They’re relaxing and having fun.”

They don’t want to relax too much, or have too much fun, though.

“We’ve got a little momentum going, but we can learn something from the division series,” Inge said. “The Yankees jumped out and won the first game, and we came back and swept three. You can never be comfortable, especially in the postseason.”

Robertson didn’t look at all comfortable, squirming his way out of two-on, one-out jams in the first and third innings, and when Frank Thomas walked and Jay Payton doubled to open the fourth, Manager Jim Leyland ordered relievers Jason Grilli and Jamie Walker to begin warming and went to the mound.

“He just said forget about the runners, concentrate on the hitters, and make good pitches,” shortstop Carlos Guillen said of Leyland’s visit. “Get one out at a time.”

Robertson is a good listener. With runners on second and third, he struck out Eric Chavez swinging at a slider, Nick Swisher swinging at a 92-mph fastball and Marco Scutaro looking at a 93-mph fastball.

“He started bearing down when he had to,” Chavez said of Robertson. “It was kind of like he’d get kicked off the team if he didn’t get the next three outs.”

Robertson courted trouble again in the fifth when D’Angelo Jimenez led off with a single and Jason Kendall walked, but Mark Kotsay bounced into a double play and Monroe made a diving catch of Milton Bradley’s liner to end the inning.

“We were dodging bullets from the get-go,” Leyland said. “From the first inning on, we were pretty much in trouble all night.”

Zito’s trouble began after he retired the first eight batters. Inge, who had three hits in 24 career at-bats against Zito, lined a solo home run to left with two out in the third, sparking a stretch in which 10 of 13 Tigers reached base. Curtis Granderson followed Inge’s homer with a double and Magglio Ordonez’s run-scoring single made it 2-0.

Rodriguez led off the fourth with a homer to right-center field for a 3-0 lead, and Monroe walked. Chavez, the A’s third baseman, made a back-hand grab of Marcus Thames’ grounder and threw to second, but Jimenez bounced his relay throw past first for an error.

Inge hit a run-scoring double to left-center field, and Placido Polanco capped the rally with a two-out run-scoring single to center field for a 5-0 lead.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com