Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander looks to tie a team record of 11 straight wins, as his teams also goes for their 11th straight victory tonight as they face the Chicago White Sox. Will they reach 11, or can Chicago spoil it all?
Justin Verlander (22-5, 2.44) brings a 10-game winning streak into
the game and can tie Hal Newhouser's mark off 11 set in 1946 with a victory. Coincidentally,
the Tigers also bring a 10-game win streak into the game after pounding the
White Sox in Monday's series opener.
That victory gave Detroit
an 11-5 season series edge heading into Tuesday's contest.
The MLB odds like Verlander's chances of matching Prince
Hal's club record and the Tigers extending their winning stretch. Detroit is a
-180 favorite this evening when they face Chicago's
Gavin Floyd (12-10, 4.35). The game
total is seven.
There's no debating Verlander's overall performance this
season. Clearly the front-runner for Cy
Young Award, he could become just the 10th different pitcher to win the AL MVP
and first since Dennis Eckersley in 1992.
If there's one little glitch in his numbers, it's a road ERA
that is creeping up and a propensity for giving up the long ball away from Comerica Park.
Verlander has allowed 15 homers in 118.1 road innings, and a 4.17 ERA
over his last six away assignments. Still, Detroit
is 6-0 in those games and 12-4 when Verlander takes the bump on the road.
The last time Verlander didn't win a start was July 15 at
home against Floyd and the White Sox. Chicago got to the Detroit
righty for five runs (4 earned) in six innings while Floyd pitched into the
eighth giving up just one earned run for the win. The Tigers were -200 chalk in that contest.
Floyd also pitched in Detroit
just 10 days ago, leaving after five innings with an 8-4 lead. He wound up with a when the Tigers rallied
for a 9-8 win punctuated by a walk-off homer by Miguel Cabrera.
US Cellular Field has not been kind to Floyd in 2011, his
ERA here approaching 6.00 while he sports a 3.28 mark away from home. The White Sox are 6-6 in his 12 starts on the
South Side diamond, opposing batters popping 9 HR in his 69.1 innings of work.
Floyd and his relievers should have a big stick back in
their lineup for this game. Right-fielder Carlos Quentin was activated from the DL and he played
part of Monday's game at DH. He'd been
out since Aug. 21 with sprained shoulder and is 10 for 34 lifetime vs.
Verlander with 3 HR.
The forecasters are calling for a cool evening in the Windy City,
clear skies with a light breeze blowing out to center and temps dropping from
the upper 60s at game time night (8:10 PM ET) into the 50s as the evening
progresses.
Taking a Chance: A wise old gambler once told me, "Boy,
don't ever %!@$ with a streak." Verlander is due to take a loss, sure, but I'm not smart enough to
figure out when and laying nearly 2/1 that it keeps going isn't really that
much fun. Instead, there are some trends
supporting an OVER play and that's the way I'll call it.