By reputation, the best starting pitcher on the Detroit Tigers is Justin Verlander.
Recent history suggests otherwise. Verlander is having a characteristically great season, but he hasn’t been the Tigers’ best starting pitcher over the last month or so.
No sir, that honor belongs to Max Scherzer.
Scherzer is on a roll unlike any he’s ever been on in his career. He’s going at least seven innings every time he takes the mound, racking up strikeouts and putting very few runners on base. It helps that he’s gotten his control, well, under control for the first time all season.
Thanks to his recent hot stretch, Scherzer now looms large in the race for the American League Cy Young award. Scroll ahead to see where he ranks in this week’s top five.
Note: All stats come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.