Detroit wants to avoid overusing Verlander
By sweeping the Yankees, Jim Leyland has been afforded the luxury of setting up his rotation for the World Series however he pleases. Despite the obvious temptation, the Tigers’ manager has no plans to start his supernatural ace, Justin Verlander, three times in the Fall Classic.
Last October, the Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter became the first pitcher since the Diamondbacks’ Curt Schilling in 2001 to take the mound for three starts in a World Series. Tony La Russa got the chance to use Carpenter a third time when Game 6 was postponed a day by rain. He earned the Game 7 win, allowing two runs in six innings.
In three postseason starts this October, Verlander is 3-0 with a 0.74 ERA, 25 strikeouts and 10 hits allowed in 24 1/3 innings. He has walked five and opponents have batted .122 against him. He is only the third Tigers pitcher to win three games in one postseason, joining Mickey Lolich (1968, all in the World Series), Jack Morris (1984) and Kenny Rogers (2006).
Morris, like Verlander, never wanted to surrender the baseball and was legendary for that bulldog tenacity. He described Verlander as having “more God-given ability than 99.9 percent of the world ever sees” and recalled a pep talk he had with Verlander in spring training in which the two talked about evolving into the game’s most dominant pitcher.
Verlander looks as though he’s arrived at that point. He is a favorite to claim his second straight Cy Young Award when the winner is announced next month. He’s been so untouchable lately that when the Yankees struck out only three times in 8 1/3 innings in ALCS Game 3 on Tuesday night, people wondered what might be wrong with him.
If not for Eduardo Nuqez’s leadoff homer in the ninth, Verlander would have had a chance to become the first pitcher since Orel Hershiser in 1988 to throw back-to-back playoff shutouts.
“I think that’s what managers are for, to stop us from doing those type of things,” Verlander said. “Obviously, I don’t think I would come out of any game all season. I might throw 200 (pitches) three starts in a row. Probably wouldn’t last long doing that. Who knows?”
But there can be dangers, too. After Carpenter’s workload last October, he made only three starts this season after recovering from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition in which compressed nerves cause weakness in the neck and chest area. It wasn’t a direct result of pitching, but the syndrome can be related to piling up innings over the years.
For now, the Tigers are worried only about winning four more games – with the hope Verlander can get at least two of them.
Farrell headed to Boston
The Red Sox have reached an agreement to bring Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell to Boston for infielder Mike Aviles.
Clearing the bases
Arizona obtained infielder Cliff Pennington and minor league infielder Yordy Cabrera from Oakland for outfielder Chris Young and cash, then sent Cabrera to the Miami Marlins for closer Heath Bell. The Marlins will pay $8 million of the remaining $21 million Bell is owed. … Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has had surgery to repair a broken left ankle and ace CC Sabathia will have his pitching elbow examined following inflammation that landed him on the disabled list in August.