Justin Verlander leads Tigers to 10th straight victory

It hasn’t been the “typical” season for Justin Verlander, but if Tuesday’s outing is any indication, he may be turning the corner just as the Tigers need him the most.

Verlander threw 8 high-quality innings against Cleveland, allowing just 1 run and striking out 7 Indians on the way to a 5-1 win for Detroit. It was the second consecutive 1-run outing for the right-hander, but this particular performance stood on its own as Verlander allowed just 4 hits and 0 walks through his 112-pitch effort.

For the Tigers, the victory was their 10th in a row, and with the win, they have now won 14 out of their last 15 games. As a result of this hot streak, Detroit now holds a decisive, 5-game lead over those same Cleveland Indians. In addition, it was Detroit’s 10 win in 11 games against their biggest divisional challenger, and that can’t be good for the psyche of the Indians. The Tigers have been considered the prohibitive favorites since the very beginning of the 2013 campaign, but this run illustrates how scary they truly can be when the pieces are all moving together.

As for Verlander, his ERA is still only 3.74 for the season, but his peripherals are coming back to his “normal” levels and it appears that his bad luck may be over. In order to maintain their status as one of the favorites in the AL, they will need the 30-year-old right-hander clicking on all cylinders, and all indications are that he is now on the right track.