Verlander keeps the Tigers alive

The Tigers homered 4 times to stay alive in the ALCS as Verlander pitched well enough to keep the Rangers at bay as Detroit won 7-4. The Tiger ace still did not look like his normal self, but he earned his first postseason win of the 2011 playoffs. The series will head back to Arlington on Saturday as the Rangers hold a 3-2 series lead and look to clinch.

Texas takes game 1 of ALCS, 3-2

Something in the Arlington air was not quite right on Saturday night... Verlander was losing his command. After surrendering 3 Texas runs in the games first four innings, Jim Leyland pulled the Tiger's ace after pitching only 82 pitches as opposed to his regular 112. The Tigers would draw close but never tie as Texas closer Neftali Feliz shut the door on game 1 of the ALCS.

Verlander wins 11th straight, Tigers win 11th straight

Justin Verlander won his 23rd game of the season and his 11th straight over seven shut-out innings as Detroit blanked Chicago, 5-0. Detroit has won 11 games in a row as they stretch their division lead to 12 games. Verlander is solidifying his bid for the AL Cy Young and possibly a shot at the AL MVP.

Should Justin Verlander win the AL MVP?

Justin Verlander became the first MLB pitcher to win 20 games this season and the fastest since to do so since Curt Schilling won 20 with the Diamondbacks in 2002 during late August. The ace leads the AL in Strikeout and Wins and has a good chance of winning the Triple Crown. So heres the question, should Verlander win the AL MVP? He has been the most valuable player to Detroit but he only plays once every 5 games. However, since Verlander averages 116.6 pitches per game, he can rest relievers for the games he doesn't play. There are many other candidates but when voting opens, Verlander should definitely be on the ballot.