Verlander On The Mound For Tigers
MINNESOTA (WWJ) - With each passing start, Justin Verlander bolsters his hopes of winning the AL Cy Young and MVP awards.
On Saturday afternoon, he'll take his first crack at a milestone that's a benchmark for single-season pitching excellence.
Verlander will try to become the majors' first 20-game winner when the Detroit Tigers meet the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
The right-hander, who's tossed one no-hitter and flirted with two others this season, is surging again. Following a loss to the Chicago White Sox to open the second half, Verlander (19-5, 2.28 ERA) has won seven consecutive starts, allowing two runs or fewer in four of them.
Verlander also won seven straight games May 29-June 30, making him the first pitcher since the Twins' Frank Viola in 1988 with separate seven-start winning streaks in one season.
He now stands a good chance to reach the 20-win mark for the first time in his seven-year career. Verlander has defeated Minnesota twice in the last six weeks with a 1.15 ERA, and is 5-1 with a 1.13 ERA in seven day games.
If Verlander wins Saturday, he'll reach 20 wins on the earliest date for any major league pitcher since Curt Schilling on Aug. 16, 2002, with Arizona. No Tigers pitcher has won 20 this early since Mickey Lolich on Aug. 21, 1971, and Detroit hasn't had any 20-game winners since Bill Gullickson in 1991.
Verlander understands the significance behind 20 wins, but maintains his focus isn't on personal milestones at this time.
"I've said time and time again, those things, like total season stats, those things are meant to be looked at at the end of the season, not now," he told the Tigers' official website. "Obviously, the community's pretty excited about me and this team for a little while now.
"Hopefully, myself and this team continue to excite them, just keep it rolling."
The Tigers remained 6 1/2 games ahead of second-place Cleveland in the Central after cruising to an 8-1 win in Friday's series opener. Former Twin Delmon Young had three RBI singles in his return to Minnesota.
Acquired in an Aug. 15 trade after clearing waivers, Young is hitting .313 with two homers and nine RBIs in 11 games with Detroit. He batted .266 with four homers and 32 RBIs in 84 games with the Twins.
"He's a good guy. He's a good player and he's really, kind of, what the doctor ordered for us in that three hole at this time," Tigers manger Jim Leyland said.
Minnesota, which has dropped 14 of 17 to Detroit, will go with Carl Pavano (6-10, 4.54) as he tries to avoid his 100th career defeat. The right-hander is 0-4 with a 5.61 ERA in eight second-half starts.
He was beaten by Verlander on July 21 after being tagged for five runs and nine hits in six innings of the Twins' 6-2 loss. Pavano has dropped three straight starts at Target Field after Monday's 4-1 loss to AL-worst Baltimore.
The Twins (55-76) have scored a total of five runs during a six-game home skid, leaving the two-time defending Central champions 1 1/2 games ahead of last-place Kansas City.
"I've never been part of anything like this," said first baseman Justin Morneau, who's 2 for 22 in his last seven games and hitting .219 on the season. "Definitely not going to get used to it, don't want to get used to it, don't want to go through it."
Morneau is 10 for 37 with two homers and five RBIs against Verlander, while Joe Mauer is 20 for 51 with three homers and nine RBIs.
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