Pennant Chase Preview: Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians

The Detroit Tigers will begin a pivotal road series in Cleveland Tuesday night. With the second-place Twins playing at the third-place Chicago White Sox, it will be important for the Tigers to take care of business against a team they should beat.

Unfortunately, the Tigers have had trouble in similar situations, as shown in their recent difficulties with the Kansas City Royals.

The Detroit pitchers each have favorable stats against Cleveland so far in 2009, a trend that will need to continue.

Here is a look ahead.

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7:05 PM

Edwin Jackson (12-7, 3.37) vs. Aaron Laffey (7-6, 4.09)

Simply put, Edwin Jackson has completely dominated the Indians this year. In his four starts he has posted a 3-0 record with a 2.74 ERA. That dominance will need to continue to give the Tigers a positive start to an important series against an inferior opponent.

Aaron Laffey has been hit hard in his last two starts, allowing six earned runs in each game. The Tigers have tagged Laffey for nine runs, seven earned, in nine-and-two-thirds innings pitched.

Placido Polanco and Magglio Ordonez each have multiple hits off Laffey this year. Polanco will be a player to watch due to his success against Laffey and his recent hot streak at the plate.

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7:05 PM

Rick Porcello (13-9, 4.22) vs. Justin Masterson (4-8, 4.49)

Calm, cool, and collected are perfect adjectives to describe Rookie of the Year candidate Rick Porcello. Despite pitching far more innings than he ever has in a previous season, Porcello has consistently given his team an opportunity to win. No pitcher since Dwight Gooden in 1985 has posted more victories prior to age 21.

Much of Porcello's success has been at the expense of the Cleveland Indians. A 2-0 record and 1.80 ERA in three starts is a stat line for a staff ace, not a 20-year-old rookie.

Justin Masterson has struggled with his control recently. Six out of the last seven opponents have worked Masterson for four or more walks. As a result, he is 0-4 with a 4.88 ERA in his last four starts.

Masterson's performance hasn't been what the Indians were looking for when they traded away slugger Victor Martinez for the promising young right-hander.

Thursday, Sept. 24, 7:05 PM

Justin Verlander (16-9, 3.44) vs. Carlos Carrasco (0-2, 9.64)

Justin Verlander's 17th win eluded him once again as he fell victim to the house of horrors otherwise known as the Metrodome. Don Kelly lost a ball in the grayish-colored roof that ignited the Twins offense and continued the Tigers' slide.

Verlander will need to be efficient with his pitches, as his 128-pitch effort last time out may limit his innings in this one. Best-case scenario: Tigers hitters get on the board early and often so that JV can collect his win and hit the showers.

Like Jackson and Porcello, Verlander has been able to shut down the Cleveland offense all year. Verlander is 3-0 with a minuscule 0.39 ERA and 30 K's in 23 innings pitched.

The Tigers rocked Carlos Carrasco in his Major League debut. Carrasco served up home run balls to Polanco, Carlos Guillen, and Brandon Inge in his three innings of work. The results weren't much better in his subsequent two starts. Carrasco has given up 15 earned runs in just 16 innings.

Around the AL Central

Upcoming Schedule

Tigers: @CLE Sept. 22-24, @CWS Sept. 25-27

Twins: @CWS Sept. 21-23, @KAN Sept. 25-27

White Sox: MIN Sept. 21-23, DET Sept. 25-27

Indians: DET Sept. 22-24, BAL Sept. 25-27

Royals: BOS Sept. 21-24, MIN Sept. 25-27

Current Standings

Team	GB
Tigers	0
Twins	2.5
White Sox	7
Indians	17.5
Royals	18

The Tigers' magic number is 11. This is the total number of Tiger wins and second-place team losses needed for the Tigers to secure their first division championship since 1987.