Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Almost everything went right for the Detroit Tigers this weekend as they completed a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros. A bevvy of hits and dominant starting pitching were far too much for the Astros to handle.
Justin Verlander led the way in the series finale Sunday, taking a bid for his third career no-hitter into the eighth inning. Former Tiger Carlos Pena crushed his hopes when he turned on a high fastball to beat a shifted infield to end the bid.
There has been a lot of talk about Verlander’s dipping velocity compared to the last few seasons, but he seemed to be on a mission to silence the doubters Sunday. Many of his fastballs surpassed 95 mph and his off-speed pitches buckled hitters knees on multiple occasions.
Verlander had a fire in his eyes and was clearly trying to take advantage of the weak Astros’ lineup. He left the game with an elevating pitch count in the seventh having given up two hits, two walks and no runs.
The first two games of the series were much closer than the last two. It took 14 innings for the Tigers to put away the Astros on Thursday, and they didn’t put the go-ahead run on the board Friday until the top of the ninth inning when Alex Avila hit a two-run shot.
Saturday and Sunday were much different stories.
The Tigers tallied 34 hits, 26 runs and eight homers over the last two games of the series. They were only kept off the board in one inning on Saturday as they pummeled the Astros to the tune of 17 runs.
It was a tale of two franchises going in very different directions. The Astros currently have the worst record in baseball at 8-24, while the Tigers are leading the AL Central at 19-11. The Tigers have won nine of their last 10 games and appear to be hitting their stride.
After an off-day Monday, the Tigers head to our nation’s capital to face the Washington Nationals. Like the Tigers, the Nationals have high expectations for this season. The two powerhouses will play a short two-game series and meet again for two more in Detroit at the end of July.
David Fouty is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davefouty, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
