Steve Mitchell- USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Tigers have their ace in Max Scherzer but they need a second hand man to be the sidekick in the rotation. If Justin Verlander can somehow return to his form from last season, the Tigers are going to have a 1-2 punch that cannot be beat in all of baseball (think of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, of think Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee). You need a good wingman in order to have a deep, successful run in the postseason and the Tigers are desperately looking for that wingman.
A lot of people have thought that once the actual postseason began, Justin Verlander would all of the sudden flip a switch and transform back into the AL Cy Young/MVP he was last season. He should some flashes of absolute brilliance down the stretch that had Tigers fans hoping that it would mean a complete turnaround from a regular season that was at times extremely painful to watch. Verlander lacked the consistency that made him the best pitcher on the planet and he lacked the velocity on his fastball that made him one of the more unhittable pitchers in all of baseball. Can he turn everything around on a dime and be the pitcher he was a year ago?
Justin Verlander is going to get a shot to be Max Scherzer’s sidekick but if he should fail at it, don’t be surprised if the Tigers look to Anibal Sanchez in the future to be the second starter. It would be so much easier for everyone though if Justin Verlander could just find his zone and be that dominant starter who can carry a team through the postseason. Time will tell if the Tigers have a 1-2 starting punch for the ages but no one questions that they certainly have the ability to be.
Brent Smith is a Detroit Tigers writer for www.RantSports.com.
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