5-3? 2-1 in 10?
*whisper*Where are you Cecil Fielder?**
It has been 20 years since the Tigers have had a pitching staff to be proud of. Sure they have had their ups in the last two decades, David Wells rings a bell, and Bill Gullickson somehow won 20 games with an ERA higher than Ozzie Guillen's IQ, but for the most part, times have been bleak.
And then this year comes around. Every starter (including Miner) has an ERA below 4.00. By far this is the best pitching staff in the major leagues--by almost a run a game. The Tigers should be running away with it. If it weren't for the Sox, they would be. However, a little more run support, and they would be contending with the 2001 Mariners at the break.
How many times can Nate Robertson pitch and only get three runs? He should be a ten-game-winner already along with Verlander and Rogers. A couple more runs here and there, and the Tigers are looking at a six-game lead at the break. If that were the case, the media would be giving them their due instead of saying "Watch out for the Yankees" or "The White Sox will catch them soon enough."
What is funny is the fact that the media keeps saying it is the pitching that will let them down in the second half. Rogers will tire, Verlander has never gone this many innings, and the like. Well, even if their pitching "lets them down" and their second half ERA's are a point higher than they are now, the Tigers should still have the best ERA in the AL at the end of the season. So, as Pedro Ceranno once said "Have to wake up bats."
Of course, as I write this, the Tigers are pounding the A's 10-4 in the bottom of the 6th. And, truth be told, there has been some good hitting this season. They put up 18 on Minnesota, they came back to win 13-8 over the Royals. But they are not going to keep winning the close ones at such a clip. The best way to counteract this is run support.
Now, I'm not bashing on the Tigers' hitting. They've been pretty hot as of late, but a couple more runs here or there would go a long way. The White Sox pitching hasn't been as good as the Tigers to this point, but it is their hitting (a la three grand slams in three games against Houston) that has kept them in the race. If both teams keep pitching this well, it will be the hitting that decides it in the end. Pitching may win championships, but hitting may be what gets teams to the playoffs.
On a side note, I did vote for Verlander. Couldn't bring myself to not. I hope he gets in, but he's fourth in the voting as of today.
