Restore The Roar: Tigers Pitching Paving The Way To AL Central Lead

By Jason M. Williams

The Detroit Tigers are clawing their way back to the top of the AL Central, and maybe all the way to the top of the American League.

Led by a dominant stable of starters, the Tigers have won six straight games and have built a season-high three-game lead in the division. Look no further than the rebuilt pitching staff for restoring the roar in the Motor City that has been dormant since the Tigers cowered away from the Cardinals in the 2006 World Series.

In the past six games, Tiger starters have been flat-out dominant – well, minus one blemish by last year’s staff ace Armando Galarraga. Edwin Jackson started the streak by allowing only 1 run over 7 innings in a win over Oakland. Rookie Rick Porcello followed that up with only one run over six. In the past three games, Dontrelle Willis re-surfaced as a member of the human civilization with 6 2/3 innings of 1-hit ball, Justin Verlander shattered Texas with only 3 hits over 6 innings, and yesterday Edwin Jackson threw darts all day long, allowing only 3 runs over 8 innings en route to a series sweep over the Rangers.

When the Tigers shocked the baseball world by reaching the World Series in 2006, they did it behind their young gun staff headlined by Verlander, Jeremey Bonderman, and Nate Robertson – with additional punch from the wily veteran, Kenny Rogers.

Can manager Jim Leyland guide this year’s crop of young fireballer pitchers to regain the magic that got them to the promised land in 2006?