Justin Verlander: It's Time

In the grand scheme of things, winning today may not make a difference in the Tigers run for the Central Division title. But, in my eyes, this was one of the most important wins of the year for the Tigers and Justin Verlander. Sure, the Tigers won the first two games of the series with Figaro pitching and Armando attempting to pitch effectively. Sure, the offense exploded those two games. Sure, Leyland has just been extended and Maggs has been riding the pine.

But, today was about Verlander and his rise to being an elite pitcher in the game, and his potential to be much more than that. Last time out, against the Cardinals, Verlander had a game reminiscent of his April outings. 5 Earned Runs in 4 innings of work. Unfortunately, in April, Verlander had 3 outings where he allowed 5 earned runs or more, and he could have been shaken by that last poor outing, and his past consistency problems when taking the mound today. He probably would have been in 2008.

But, 2009 is not 2008. Verlander went 7 2/3 innings today, allowed only 2 solo home runs, and beat the other team's ace in a crucial sweep over the 1st place Brewers. He is now 4th in the AL in wins, 1st in strikeouts, 8th in WHIP, 12th in ERA, and 4th in WAR, WPA and FIP in all of MLB. This should not be news to any of you. You've seen Verlander pitch. You know he has the stuff to dominate. These last 11 starts of his (with the St. Louis start as the one fluke) have proven that, as he has only allowed 15 earned runs. And, only 10 when you take out the fluke game against St. Louis.

Now, though, its time for Verlander to take it to the next level. His ERA looks good. His WHIP is good. And, in almost 75% of his starts this year, he has been good to great. No complaints from my end. He has turned into a legit #1 starter and the ace of the Tigers staff. Now the question is: Does JV want more? Does he want to be THE ace in all of baseball? Grienke has had his run this year, and is slowly starting to come back down to Earth. Halladay has been great for years, but even he does not have the "stuff" that Verlander does. Santana has slipped a little from his 2004-2006 heyday. Sabathia has struggled (by his standards) in New York. Surprise, surprise, right? Lincecum and Felix Hernandez are two young pitchers with the stuff that Verlander has, and each have proven track records. But, Verlander can join them and surpass all of them. He has arguably the best fastball in the game, and two other plus pitches with his curveball and changeup. His BABIP of .324 should regress to the mean, and his 2.59 FIP suggests that his defense has let him down a couple times, and his ERA should continue to drop.

Its time for Verlander to seize the opportunity. No more hiccups like the St. Louis game. No more consistency problems like in 2008 or in April. He has roughly 20 starts left in his 2009 season. Its all laid out there for him. With a strong finish, he could win the A.L. Cy Young, grab the strikeout crown, and post the lowest ERA in the game. He could lead the Tigers to the postseason and be pitching meaningful baseball again in September and October when the lights shine the brightest and the stars are made. Verlander has the chance to become THE star pitcher in the game. He's got the natural talent, the new-found attitude, and past results from his No-Hitter to this recent 11 start stretch of dominance to suggest that he can be that star pitcher. Today was another step in that right direction after recovering from a previous poor start.

Its time, Justin. The opportunity is there. Seize it. Its time.