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Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber became the third major league hurler to reach 200 strikeouts this season, hitting the milestone in Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

In the midst of a tremendous breakout season, the 28-year-old right-hander now has 205 strikeouts through 27 outings, easily topping his previous career-high mark of 136 punchouts, which he set last season.

Though he reached a milestone and held the Twins to three runs over seven innings, Kluber took his first loss since June 30 on Thursday, as he was outdueled by Minnesota right-hander Phil Hughes, who is having a breakout season of his own.

Kluber‘s outing, while a strong one for most pitchers, was disappointing by the standards that he has created. He gave up just four earned runs over his previous six starts, compiling a 55-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 47.2 innings during that stretch.

Although the Seattle Mariners‘ Felix Hernandez remains the obvious front-runner, Kluber has nearly as strong of an argument for AL Cy Young honors.

Among qualified American League starters, the Indians’ ace is third in ERA (2.46), second in innings (186.1), ninth in WHIP (1.08), tied for second in strikeouts (205) and tied for fifth in wins (13). Per FanGraphs.com’s measure, Kluber has been worth 5.5 wins above replacement, tied with Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for second in the majors, behind only Hernandez (6.2).

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The Milwaukee Brewers might be the most surprising team overall this season after getting off to a fast start and possessing at least a share of the NL Central lead for all but three days. But the most shocking division leader in Major League Baseball at the moment actually resides in the other Central: the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals, you see, weren’t supposed to be where they are—namely, at the top of the AL Central, a division that has belonged to the Detroit Tigers in recent years.

They weren’t supposed to be here according to most preseason prognostications. And they sure as heck weren’t supposed to be here a little less than a month ago, when a fourth straight loss dropped them to 48-50 and a season-worst eight games behind Detroit on July 21.

Well, Kansas City has gone a best-in-baseball 21-5 since that low point. The once-mighty Tigers, meanwhile, have fallen on hard times, winning just 11 of their last 26 in the wake of injuries to key pitchers Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Joakim Soria.

So with about six weeks left and the Royals now 69-55 and two-and-a-half games up in the Central, the heck with “supposed to be.”

“We’ve got too much focus now to say, ‘Hey, we’re in first, we’re fine,'” first baseman/designated hitter Billy Butler told Dick Kaegel of MLB.com. “No, it’s like, ‘We’re in first, we need to stretch this lead out.'”

But just how did the Royals—a small-market franchise with the longest active playoff drought in the majors dating back to 1985—get here? How are they doing this? Are they for real?

Because it’s starting to feel like we’re not in Kansas (City) anymore.

In some ways, the story seems too good to be true. In fact, the tale comes complete with a feel-good ditty involving team superfan SungWoo Lee, a longtime follower from South Korea who recently made his first trip to Kansas City to experience the Royals in person—at the exact time when the team was overtaking the Tigers for first place last week. Seriously.

That too-good-to-be-true feeling has some merit, though, especially in terms of the Royals offense, which remains right around league average at 4.12 runs per game. The sticks have been better of late, but not much: After scoring 4.07 runs per game in the first half, Kansas City is averaging 4.28 since the break.

The young offensive core just hasn’t taken the next step that many figured. First baseman Eric Hosmer, who had the potential to come into his own this year, currently is injured and wasn’t hitting all that much even when he was healthy (.267/.312/.377). Meanwhile, the formerly steady Billy Butler (.282/.330/.387) and potential breakout candidate Mike Moustakas (.198/.259/.376) have been disappointments, too.

In fact, going by weighted runs created plus (wRC+)—a metric that measures a player’s total offensive contributions where 100 represents league average—the Royals have only two players performing above average: left fielder Alex Gordon and center fielder Lorenzo Cain.

Essentially, this club is getting it done and sits where it does in the standings because of how much it excels on the other side of the ball—run prevention, and that factors in both pitching and defense.

The Royals rank 12th in total runs allowed, and that is driven by a staff that sports a 3.58 ERA—11th best in baseball. The rotation lacks any big names outside of James Shields (3.29 ERA, 1.21 WHIP), but each of Jason Vargas (3.17 ERA, 1.18 WHIP), Danny Duffy (2.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), Jeremy Guthrie (4.48 ERA, 1.34) and rookie Yordano Ventura (3.48 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) is capable of throwing a quality start in any given game.

To wit, Kansas City has 70 quality starts (six-plus innings pitched, three earned runs or less) on the year, the 10th most in the sport, and the five-man rotation has averaged 6.2 innings per start, which is the fifth-best mark around.

The bullpen? Well, that’s filled with young, hard-throwing arms like Aaron Crow (3.65 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, team-high 56 appearances), Kelvin Herrera (1.56 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) and Wade Davis (team-bests with an 0.83 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 13.8 K/9) in front of one of baseball’s very best closers in Greg Holland (1.84 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and an MLB-high 38 saves).

No wonder the club ranks fifth overall with 4.1 wins above replacement accrued by relievers.

As Buster Olney of ESPN.com (subscription required) writes:

The Kansas City bullpen is probably the difference between the Royals between in or out of first place in the AL Central. While Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has had to wade through uncertainty all summer with a struggling bullpen that ranks 27th in ERA, the back end of the Kansas City relief has been nearly pristine of late. 

And as for defense, well, the Royals are downright regal. Here’s a look at where they rank in various defensive metrics:

Among those statistics, the most impressive one is the total defense, an all-encompassing metric from FanGraphs that factors in all aspects of D and rolls them into one easy-to-digest number to show how many runs above (or below) average a team (or player) is.

In the Royals’ case, they are 51.9 runs better than average, which is not only the top mark in MLB but the top mark in MLB by quite a bit.

Much of that comes from the performances of three-time Gold Glove winner Gordon (17 runs above average), backup center fielder Jarrod Dyson (16.7) and catcher Salvador Perez (11.1), all of whom rank in the top 25 in the entire sport. But Cain (7.2) and shortstop Alcides Escobar (6.6) aren’t too shabby either.

Speaking of Perez and his work behind the plate, opponents simply don’t dare test his arm, as he’s allowed all of 46 successful steals on the season, the second-fewest among all teams. 

Run prevention clearly has become a bigger focus in MLB in recent years, and the Royals do it as well as just about any team out there, whether it’s pitching (both starters and relievers) or defense.

That’s why Kansas City is well above .500 both at home (33-28) and on the road (36-27), one of only seven teams—a group that does not include the vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers—that can make that claim through Monday.

Taking all of this into account, the question remains: Are the Royals for real? Like, really for real?

Perhaps the only way to know for sure is to wait and see. If Kansas City hangs around with the Tigers at or near the top of the AL Central for another few weeks, we’re sure to get an answer one way or another.

After all, the Royals are only 4-9 against the Tigers head-to-head so far. That could be a problem considering they play each other six more times down the stretch, with three games in Detroit (Sept. 8-10) and three at home (Sept. 19-21).

It’s not unreasonable to suggest that those series could determine whether the Royals really are for real—and whether they can make it to October for the first time in 29 years.

Statistics are accurate as of Aug. 18 and come from MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com, except where otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11

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Apparently 10 is the magic number for Corey Kluber.

The Cleveland Indians ace was brilliant on Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out 10 batters over 7.2 innings.

The outing marked Kluber’s second 10-strikeout performance in the past week, and he’s now fanned exactly 10 batters in four of his last six starts. Overall, it was Kluber’s eighth start this season with double-digit strikeouts.

Kluber, 28, has been nothing short of dominant since the All-Star break, pacing all starting pitchers with a 0.76 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 55 strikeouts over 47.2 innings. On top of that, the right-hander has allowed just 27 hits, none of which have left the park, and six walks during that span.

Though he was already enjoying the best season of his four-year career, Kluber’s second-half success has thrust him into the discussion as one of baseball’s elite starting pitchers.

“He’s getting an air about him like a Nolan Ryan or a Roger Clemens,” pitching coach Mickey Callaway said to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. “That’s what I feel like when he’s on the mound. I feel like one of those guys is pitching right now.”

Take one look at the AL pitching leaderboard and you’ll see what Callaway means.

Kluber’s 2.41 ERA is the third lowest among qualified starting pitchers this season, behind Felix Hernandez and Chris Sale, respectively, while his 197 strikeouts rank second to David Price’s 205.

More importantly, Kluber’s 5.2 fWAR entering Friday ranked third across starters in both leagues over a slew of Cy Young candidates including Clayton Kershaw (5.0), Sale (4.7), Max Scherzer (4.6) and David Price (4.0). The only pitchers with a better WAR than Kluber this season are Hernandez (6.2) and Jon Lester (5.4).

So, what exactly has made the Indians right-hander so dominant this year?

For starters, Kluber has mastered the feel for his sinker, a pitch he first started to mess around with in 2011 at Triple-A Columbus.

“I’d never really thrown it much on a consistent basis,” Kluber said, per Bastian’s MLB.com report. “I’d throw my four-seam and, here and there, I’d mix in a two-seam. After I threw it over and over and over and over, and it kind of clicked. It was like, ‘This feels a lot better.'”

Kluber has thrown his sinker 49.53 percent of the time this season, according to Brooks Baseball, which is consistent with his use of the pitch from 2013 (49.89 percent).

However, he’s throwing it harder this season—his velocity has steadily increased in each of the past four seasons—sitting above 94 mph (94.39 mph to be exact) for the first time in his career.

The uptick in velocity has reduced the vertical action on his sinker, but it’s also allowed him to more effectively command the pitch to both sides of the plate. As a result, Kluber is inducing whiffs at a career-best rate this season (4.76 percent) and generating significantly fewer fly balls.

Kluber’s sinker also has done wonders for his secondary pitches, which are nasty offerings to begin with.

Just how nasty? FoxSports.com’s Gabe Kapler feels they’re so good that command is of secondary importance: “His stuff is so nasty, with such devastating late movement, that he can miss badly over and over and get away with it.”

Hitters are now aware that Kluber can pitch to both corners with his sinker, and it has in turn made them more susceptible to his cutter and slider. The result has been roughly a four percent increase in his whiff-per-swing rate with both pitches.

Kluber’s 34.38 percent whiff-per-swing rate with his cutter—developed in 2011 along with his sinker—currently ranks first among all starting pitchers (who have thrown the pitch at least 200 times this season), and he checks in 10th for his slider at 43.52 percent, per Baseball Prospectus’ PITCHf/x leaderboards.

Meanwhile, hitters have posted a .072 average and .098 slugging percentage against Kluber’s slider this season, which are the lowest opponents’ averages for that specific pitch in the major leagues among qualified starters.

What Kluber has done this year has nothing to do with luck; over the last four years, the right-hander has steadily evolved into the pitcher he is today—an elite one. 

If his performance over the rest of the season is anything close to what he’s accomplished so far, Kluber should challenge King Felix and Chris Sale for the AL Cy Young.

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The Royals are on a warpath.

Kansas City won its eighth game in a row on Monday night, overcoming the Oakland A’s to pull into pole position in the AL Central for the first time in 10 years.

Of course, the most important product of the win was the capstone celebration: a ridiculously athletic backflip by Jarrod Dyson.

The Royals outfielder caught the game-winning catch at the top the ninth—a high shot to center—and celebrated by launching himself end over end.

There may or may not be springs and/or pistons stuffed in Dyson’s shoes. I’ve put more effort into standing up from a bean bag chair than he did flinging his entire body into the sky.

Now, on to a decidedly less fun matter: Will the A’s bite back?

Baseball’s rich tradition of petty, anti-fun laws could mean a bean ball is in Dyson’s future.

Teams adhering to arbitrary codes of conduct are why we can’t have nice things anymore. Dyson did exactly what he should’ve done—act like he hadn’t been there before, because he hasn’t, and the team hasn’t been in such a position in a decade.

Alas, if the A’s come after Dyson, they’ll probably find themselves flustered again. He looks capable of flipping over a fastball.

Follow Dan on Twitter for more sports and pop culture news.

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The Kansas City Royals haven’t played October baseball since 1985, when they won the World Series.

The fact that this team pulled into first place all by itself in the American League Central with a dramatic 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night is kind of a big deal. And, frankly, an unexpected one.

So, too, was the club’s Monday acquisition of outfielder/designated hitter Josh Willingham from the Minnesota Twins. That seems like a minor move on the surface, but it’s one that carries some deeper meaning for a franchise that has floundered for much of the past three decades.

Remember, this is the Royals we’re talking about, an organization whose postseason drought dates back nearly 30 years and is the longest active October-less stretch in the majors.

So Monday’s victory deserved a little something extra:

Indeed, the win was especially big because the Royals took down the A’s, owners of the best record in baseball, as well as breakout right-hander Sonny Gray. But also because Kansas City (64-53) took over first from the Detroit Tigers (63-54) with their eighth straight win and 16th in their last 19.

The change at the top of the Central has happened rapidly, too, as the Tigers lost their third in a row and five of their past six contests to fall out of the top spot for the first time since June 19. Detroit has now gone 10-15 since the All-Star break.

Their slump has a lot to do with injuries (Anibal Sanchez, Joakim Soria), ineffectiveness (Justin Verlander) or both.

There’s still much more talent and experience on Detroit’s roster than there is on Kansas City’s—to claim otherwise is simply admitting to being a Royals fan—but clearly the Tigers need to be on notice now.

They have been the class of the division in recent years, and everyone expected that to continue this season, even more so after the blockbuster trade-deadline deal to land ace left-hander David Price fewer than two weeks ago.

And it’s not as if the Tigers are going to curl up into a ball and give up now that they’ve surrendered first place. Remember, they relinquished that position to the Royals, who won 10 straight in mid-June. But the Royals’ “reign” then lasted for all of 72 hours.

What’s gone right for the Royals in this latest hot stretch? Well, for one thing they’re finally getting some big games from their better bats, like Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Salvador Perez, as well as their role players like Norichika Aoki, Omar Infante and Jarrod Dyson.

The team also features a rotation that sends a capable or better starter to the mound each game in James Shields (3.25 ERA), Danny Duffy (2.57), Yordano Ventura (3.45), Jason Vargas (3.48) and Jeremy Guthrie (4.35).

Most of all, the Royals have a dynamic bullpen that ranks among the best in ERA (seventh at 3.18), thanks largely to the late-inning trio of hard-throwing setup men Kelvin Herrera (1.62 ERA) and Wade Davis (0.88 ERA, 13.7 K/9) and shutdown closer Greg Holland (1.74 ERA, 13.3 K/9, AL-best 35 SV).

That was the formula Monday, as Ventura threw six solid innings, allowing just the two runs, before turning things over to Herrera and Davis, both of whom worked perfect frames with two strikeouts apiece. Holland then worked around a leadoff single to close out the statement game.

“They have a great staff, top to bottom,” said A’s outfielder Josh Reddick, per Jane Lee of MLB.com. “I don’t even know if they have a guy that throws under 95 [mph], so that doesn’t make it real easy. It’s not just their fastballs. Their secondary stuff sets up their fastballs. They’ve done a great job doing what they’ve done.” 

As unlikely as it looked even 10 days ago, the Royals just might make the Tigers work for a shot at their fourth straight division crown.

That’s a good thing. Baseball could use a little underdog, a little oh-no-they-didn’t, and the Royals are providing as much. Look no further than Monday’s waiver trade for Willingham.

“We felt the time was right to be aggressive and add another bat,” general manager Dayton Moore told MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel.

Is Willingham the biggest name out there? No. But can a guy who has 12 homers in 68 games and whose .345 OBP is now the second best on the Royals (to Alex Gordon’s .356) be a productive piece down the stretch? Why not?

After all, the Royals offense has been one of the team’s weaknesses, ranking tied for 16th in runs scored, 21st in OPS and dead last in home runs. Plus, Moore needed to do something in light of the recent hand injury to Eric Hosmer, which could keep him out until September.

“If we find players that make sense, [Royals owner] Mr. [David] Glass has always been willing to add a piece that we think can help us win,” Moore said via Kaegel. “And we think that Josh is the right presence in our clubhouse and in our lineup right now for what our team needs.”

If nothing else, the Willingham deal proves that an ownership that has often been criticized and mocked for all the losing is actually involved and invested in the product on the field. Willingham doesn’t solve all of the Royals’ problems, but he could be a symbol of a hope that hasn’t existed in Kansas City since the 1980s—and a symbol of a possibility that has seemed an impossibility since 1985, in particular.

No, the Royals might not win the World Series this year for the first time since that season. Perspective points out that the MLB season isn’t even through mid-August yet, so any celebration over being in first place and in a playoff position this early shows just how eager Kansas City, both the town and its fans, are for a return to relevance.

After remaining in the playoff picture until late September last year in what wound up being Kansas City’s first non-losing season since 2003, however, the ultimate goal for the Royals isn’t relevance. It’s October. Monday night’s win made that month seem a little more possible.

Statistics are accurate through Aug. 11 and come from MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com, except where otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11

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Updates from Tuesday, Aug. 12

Chris Iott of MLive.com reported on Justin Verlander following Tuesday’s MRI:

Jason Beck of MLB.com provides comments from Tigers manager Brad Ausmus:

Detroit Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand expanded on the results, via Iott:

Justin underwent an MRI this morning in Detroit which basically showed normal wear and tear on a pitcher’s shoulder. No major structural damage. He’s obviously going to be reevaluated tomorrow at the ballpark by Dr. (Stephen) Lemos. When he sees him then we’re going to discuss all treatment options at that time.

Original Text

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander was removed from the team’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday with an apparent shoulder injury after just one inning of work. 

Chris Iott of MLive.com reported the news on Verlander’s injury:

After the Tigers’ 11-6 loss to the Pirates, Iott provided an update on Verlander:

Verlander was blunt in his assessment of the night and also spoke about how he felt, via Tom Gage of The Detroit News: 

The 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner has gone just 10-10 this season with a 4.76 ERA. His ERA has not been above 4.00 at the end of a season since 2008, also the last season he failed to amass 200 strikeouts.

Earlier this month, Verlander spoke about attempting to turn around his season, per Brendan Savage of MLive.com:

I think pitching is constant tinkering. You’re always working on things. This year I made more drastic adjustments than I would have liked but I feel like I’m heading in the right direction and will continue working on what I’ve been working on and go out there and continue to pitch the way I did tonight.

Unfortunately, those struggles resurfaced on Monday night. But the possible injury might be more significant for the Tigers.

Verlander surrendered five runs during the outing before being taken out. ESPN Stats & Info notes the significance of the unfortunate start:

The start was not only bad for Verlander, but also for the exhausted Tigers bullpen, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today pointed out:

There is no word yet on the severity of the injury, but the situation will be evaluated further on Tuesday, as Iott mentioned.

The Tigers came into Monday night just a half game ahead of the Kansas City Royals and needed a strong outing from Verlander.

Following the buzz generated around Detroit after the David Price acquisition at the trade deadline, potentially losing Verlander would be extremely disheartening.

Verlander has been scuffling this season, but he has been a crucial component for the Tigers over the last nine years. If he is forced to miss time, their playoff hopes could take a hit.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.

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The Minnesota Twins acquired promising pitching prospect Jason Adam Monday in exchange for 35-year-old Josh Willingham in a deal with the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals’ Twitter account broke the news:

It is a win-win trade for both parties. Kansas City gets an expiring contract and a bat to help contend after a flurry of consecutive wins, while—more importantly—Minnesota gets some serious help in the farm system’s bullpen.

Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press noted that Twins general manager Terry Ryan has a plan in place for Adam:

Baseball America noted that Adam was a coveted member of the farm in Kansas City:

That said, not all of the reviews are positive in nature, such as one courtesy of JJ Cooper of Baseball America:

Adam seems to have an off night like any developing prospect, although nobody can deny there is a certain allure to a 23-year-old arm who has worked his way up through the ranks after being a fifth-round selection in 2010.

MiLB.com has the official stat lines of Adam’s journey to this point:

For his part, Adam says his time in the minors has allowed him to refine his game.

“A lot of the mental side of pitching as far as how to read batters, throwing the right pitches in the right situations, taking all that into account and then just refining my pitches,” Adam said, per Dick Kaegel of MLB.com. “I’m constantly doing that, obviously.”

Adam has more work to do, but the pieces of a rotational starter or even a reliever are certainly in place should he continue on his current trajectory.

For a team that resides in the cellar of the AL Central and wants to get younger in order to build for the future, Adam is a huge get in exchange for what would have been nothing of merit had Willingham left via free agency.

In time, Adam might just make this transaction look like a major steal.

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The Detroit Tigers were only 2.5 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central heading into play Friday, but their division title chances may have taken a hit. Jason Beck of MLB.com filled fans in on the latest regarding pitcher Anibal Sanchez:

Sanchez was hit hard before exiting his start against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing 10 hits and three earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched.

The Tigers pitching staff may be anchored by Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and newly acquired David Price, but Sanchez has turned in an impressive 2014 campaign. He sports an 8-5 record with 3.46 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and .229 batting average against.

If Sanchez misses considerable time going forward, the Tigers will be even more reliant on their trio of former Cy Young Award winners. Of course, that’s not a bad problem to have at all, but Sanchez provides solid depth.

Check back for updates as they develop.

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The Detroit Tigers have enjoyed a storied 121-year history, winning 11 American League pennants and four World Series championships.

Much of this success can be attributed to the iconic pitchers that have donned the “Olde English D” during their careers.

Guys like Hal Newhouser, Mickey Lolich, Jack Morris and Justin Verlander have demonstrated their mound excellence for fans of almost every generation since World War II and provided the foundation for many of the great Tiger teams.

In this article, we’ll look at the best Tiger hurlers of all time by using three specific criteria.

Most importantly, we’ll consider each candidate’s regular-season performance. Second, we’ll take into account each pitcher’s longevity. In other words, one-year wonders need not apply. Finally, we’ll assess how each pitcher has fared in the postseason, when the heat is on and the pressure to perform is at its greatest.

Begin Slideshow

Poised to win the American League Central for the fourth consecutive year, the Detroit Tigers‘ fortunes this October will rest squarely on the right arm of one Justin Brooks Verlander. 

Admittedly, that’s a bold statement, especially when you consider Detroit’s $164 million roster includes the likes of 2012-13 MVP Miguel Cabrera, 2013 Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, 2013 A.L. ERA leader Anibal Sanchez, five-time All Star Victor Martinez and new arrival David Price, who happened to win the Cy Young in 2012.

But Verlander is the Tigers’ No. 1 starter. Their Big Dawg. Their hombre. Their bouncer. Their ace. And to win in October you need an ace.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Verlander has done everything this season but pitch like an ace. In fact, his 4.66 ERA this season is more than a full run higher than any of the Tigers’ other starters, and his WHIP of 1.42 also ranks as the worst among his rotation mates. Those are definitely not results the Tigers’ front office envisioned when it gave Verlander a seven-year, $180 million extension last year in the hope he would be the horse the organization could ride to its first world championship since 1984.

It’s imperative Verlander rights the ship before the start of the playoffs for three reasons. First, the rest of the Tigers’ rotation does not eat enough innings to compensate for the team’s weak, overworked bullpen, which will leave Detroit vulnerable in the late innings against playoff-caliber offenses like the A’s, Angels and Orioles. 

Price is a horse, but in Scherzer and Sanchez, (we’ll assume No. 5 starter Rick Porcello will head to the bullpen in the playoffs), manager Brad Ausmus has two capable starters who’ve averaged only 6.1 innings per start since the beginning of last season. This means Ausmus will be relying on the bullpen to get eight highly leveraged outs in what will likely be razor-tight pitching duels where one misplaced fastball or hanging curve could have disastrous results.

Let’s look at Detroit’s bullpen for a second. Closer Joe Nathan has enjoyed a stellar career with 363 saves and a 2.88 ERA, but this year he’s already blown five saves in just 27 attempts, and his ERA is a bloated 5.45. 

Setup man Joba Chamberlain has had an excellent season, but he’s just two years removed from Tommy John surgery and on pace to nearly equal his personal best of 73 appearances in a season. 

Right-hander Al Albuquerque has also posted good numbers this season; However, his heavy workload may already be affecting his dynamite stuff. His FIP, per Baseball-Reference.com, of 4.32 suggests his current ERA of 3.26 will rise and his K/9 of 10.5 is his worst mark by almost two full strikeouts.   

Finally, left-handed specialists Ian Krol and Phil Coke’s aggregate ERA and WHIP of 4.77 and 1.60, respectively, have caused Ausmus to reach for the Rolaids on more than one occasion this season.

Recently acquired Joakim Soria is solid, but even after his arrival from Texas, Detroit’s bullpen will still be a little short. This is where Verlander comes in. Vintage Verlander—assume the 2012 model when he had a 2.64 ERA to go along with a 1.06 WHIP and averaged 7.1 innings per start—would give his manager the luxury of saving his beleaguered bullpen for other games when an eight-out effort will be necessary to achieve a win.

The second reason why Detroit needs Verlander to return to form is that he and his fellow starters must mask an inconsistent offense. Although Detroit’s 495 runs scored ranks fourth in the A.L., and its OPS of .765 paces the junior circuit, the Tigers’ offense has gone in the tank for extended stretches this season and has been particularly susceptible to power pitching. 

For example, during a 9-17 stretch from May 19 through June 18, Detroit faced hard throwers like Trevor Bauer, Yu Darvish, Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Drew Hutchison and Chris Sale and hit only .258, or 20 points below their full-season average.

It will only get tougher in October, when the Tigers will probably have to face the likes of Gray (remember his eight shutout innings in Game 2 of the AL Division Series last year?), Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija, Felix Hernandez and Garrett Richards multiple times in a series. Detroit will need its starters to bring their “A” games for such matchups, meaning Verlander pitching like he has for most of this year simply won’t cut it.

The Tigers’ poor defense is the final reason why Verlander will need to regain his old magic once the leaves start to change color. Although second baseman Ian Kinsler and rookie shortstop Eugenio Suarez make a solid double play combination, Cabrera and Nick Castellanos offer below-average range at the corners. And Torii Hunter and J.D. Martinez, who has earned a starting job because of his hot bat, are among the A.L.’s worst outfielders according to Baseball-Reference.com’s UZR rankings.

Simply put, Detroit’s starters will need as many strikeouts as possible to negate the team’s porous defense. While Scherzer, with 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings, has actually improved his pace from last season, Sanchez’s and Verlander’s K/9 are down significantly. Verlander’s drop—from 8.9 in 2012 to a pedestrian 6.6 this year—is particularly alarming and will have to be improved.

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