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When the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics kick off their ALDS series tonight, it won’t be Justin Verlander on the mound as is usually the case, but instead it’ll be Max Scherzer. Max is the likely winner of the AL Cy Young award this offseason so he does indeed deserve the Game 1 start vs. the A’s. Verlander, who is just a couple years removed from his dominant season in which he was named both the AL Cy Young and AL MVP in the same offseason, will start Game 2. If those two starters aren’t scary enough, let’s move on to the AL leader in ERA. Anibal Sanchez not only led the AL in ERA, but he put up a very solid 14-8 record. It just continues to get more and more impressive as I continue through their rotation. Doug Fister went 14-9 with a 3.67 ERA, and let’s finish with Rick Porcello who had the highest ERA out of the five in the rotation with 4.32. But regardless of that, Porcello tied Verlander in wins with 13 and he had less losses than Justin did with eight.
The Tigers can go into this series knowing their starting rotation is better than what Oakland has to offer. The A’s hitters better come in prepared from Game 1 all the way to possibly Game 5, because regardless of if Detroit rolls with a four or five man rotation, the A’s will be facing a double digit winner night in and night out. If the Tigers rotation does what they did in the regular season, then this series won’t even be close.
Related: Detroit Tigers Starting Andy Dirks In Left Field Is Dangerous
Michael Pidgeon is a Los Angeles Dodgers writer for Rant Sports.com: “Like” him on Facebook, Follow him on Twitter @PidgeonIsGod, or add him to your network on Google
