Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The heat is on

Justin Verlander tossed a his first ML shutout (in just his ninth start) last night for the Tigers. He still was hitting 99 mph on the gun in ninth inning. Jim Leyland said he couldn't ever recall seeing a starter doing that.

I heard Leyland on ESPN radio's Mike & Mike the other day. He said he likes his teams to play like they're in first place and prepare like they're in second.

Right now, I'd say Kenny Rogers is the team's MVP for the apparent role he's had on the pitching staff. Maggs is moving up on the list.

The leader for Most Valuable Moment is Brandon Inge. His 15-pitch at-bat on April 20 helped the Tigers rally for a 4-3 win in Oakland. That, even more than Leyland laying down the law on April 17, might be the turning point of the season. Detroit was 1-1 following Leyland's outburst and would have dropped the Oakland series if not for that comeback. The Tigers are 22-7 since Inge's at-bat.

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