Justin Verlander Is the Best Starting Pitcher in the MLB and Will Finish Strong

Justin Verlander is the best starting pitcher in the MLB as of this very moment.

There, I came out and said it; now let’s see if he can continue to back it up.

This might be somewhat of a controversial statement, but I can all but guarantee you that it is true.

After pitching a no-hitter earlier on in the season, he came out against the Cleveland Indians in a battle for first place and propelled the Detroit Tigers to a huge win.

Oh, did I mention he also picked up a complete game, two-hitter in the process?

This is a guy who came into this season with one no-no already notched firmly under his belt, yet there were still questions about his legitimacy as an ace pitcher in the MLB.

Well, I think tonight he came out and showed as all that he is much more than a legitimate ace; he is the very best.

Verlander flirted with another no-hitter, as they say, Tuesday night in Detroit, but Orlando Cabrera of the Indians hit a single to center field to break up the festivities.

That was 7.1 innings into the game.

Not only did Verlander improve his record to 8-3 with a 2.66 ERA, but he also put the Tigers in sole possession of first place in the AL Central.

The very fact of the matter is that right now Justin Verlander is the best starting pitcher in the Majors.

Eight out of his last night starts have been considered quality, and he is an absolute workhorse. He pitches six-plus innings in every single one of these starts and constantly has a pitch count around 120.

Not only that, but it seems that he gets stronger as the game goes on, which is rare in a pitching era that seems to be dominated by pitch count rather than endurance. If you check his stats, he is still constantly throwing in the high 90s, even 100-plus, in the late innings.

Even though he didn’t get the no-hitter tonight, Verlander made yet another bid at the early Cy Young rankings, and it can be argued that there is no pitcher that is more important to his team than Verlander is to the Tigers.

As far as triple crown numbers are concerned, he is third in strike outs behind Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, tied for third in wins and 10th in ERA.

Now, that may not seem all that impressive, but I can guarantee you that if you watch any Tigers game that Verlander is pitching, you will realize why I feel the way I do.

He is the literal heartbeat behind the team and the city of Detroit as far as baseball is concerned, and I only think he will get better as the season goes on.

The Tigers are a team that are notorious for their second half collapses in the past decade, and if they want to turn that reputation around, it is going to have to start with Verlander.

Just like with his starts, I think he will continue to grow stronger as the year progresses, and at the end of the season, I think we will be looking at him as a Cy Young pitcher.

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports