Los Angeles @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( May 1, 2010 ) LA Angels 2, Detroit 3
The Detroit Tigers are off to a fine start, but if they have any hopes of reaching the postseason Justin Verlander needs to get back on track.
Verlander will be looking to pick up his second win today when the Tigers face the Los Angeles Angels.
Detroit's bullpen has masked the ineffectiveness of the starting rotation thus far, with six different relievers carrying ERAs of 2.45 or lower.
New closer Jose Valverde has seven saves and an 0.75 ERA while Joel Zumaya and Fu-Te Ni have combined to strike out 31 batters in 25 1/3 innings. Left-hander Phil Coke even leads the team with three wins out of the bullpen.
Meanwhile, Dontrelle Willis, who was nearly cut in the off-season, is the only member of the rotation with an ERA under 4.00. Rick Porcello, who went 14-9 with a 3.96 ERA as a rookie in 2009, has allowed 22 runs in 24 2/3 innings in 2010.
But Verlander has been the most troubling thus far. The tall right-hander garnered Cy Young award consideration in 2009 after going 19-9 with 269 strikeouts and a 3.45 ERA. He was a trendy preseason pick for the award this year as well, with many assuming the 27-year-old would continue his ascent to superstardom.
But command woes have plagued Verlander in his past few starts, limiting his ability to work deep into games. He turned in a strong outing against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday but had to be removed in sixth inning and ended up taking a loss. He has only made it through seven frames in one of his five outings.
Verlander earned his lone win this season at Los Angeles on April 22, allowing four runs and six hits while walking four in five innings as the Tigers managed a 5-4 victory.
Angels starter Jered Weaver has had no such problems during the first month of the season, striking out 34 against six walks in 32 total innings. The right-hander has surrendered two runs or less in each of his last four games.
Weaver faced off against the Tigers on April 21 and allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings but did not factor in the decision.
Detroit earned a walk-off win Saturday when Johnny Damon homered off Scot Shields in the bottom of the ninth. Damon, rookie Austin Jackson and major league RBI leader Miguel Cabrera are the sparks of the Tigers offense, with each carrying a batting average of .343 or better.
Cabrera plated another run Saturday to bring his total to 26 RBIs.