2011 MLB Playoffs: Justin Verlander's Arm Will Rule Fate of ALDS Game 3

If the Detroit Tigers proved one thing in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees, it's that they are a resilient bunch.

A day after the Tigers were embarrassed in the continuation of Game 1, which was washed away by rain on Friday night, they came back and beat the Yankees 5-3. Max Scherzer was terrific, Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in three runs and Jose Valverde nailed down in the ninth.

As a result, the Tigers earned a split in the Bronx, and are heading into Game 3 in Detroit on Monday (8:30 p.m. ET on TBS) with plenty of momentum.

In baseball, the saying goes that momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher. Luckily for the Tigers, their next starting pitcher might just be the best pitcher in the major leagues.

That, for the record, would be Justin Verlander. He logged one unspectacular inning against the Yanks in Game 1 before the rains came, and will be looking to give the Tigers a 2-1 series lead on Monday night.

For the second time in four days, Verlander will be opposed by CC Sabathia. Outside of a first-inning home run by Delmon Young, Sabathia looked very good in Game 1, striking out four hitters in two innings of work.

Presumably, Jim Leyland will stack his lineup with right-handed hitters once again in an effort to counter Sabathia. This strategy backfired when Sabathia was switched out for Ivan Nova in the continuation of Game 1, but the numbers still support a predominantly right-handed-hitting lineup against Sabathia. Lefties hit .207 off him this year, but righties hit .273.

Regardless of what kind of lineup Leyland goes with, Detroit's fate in Game 3 will live and die by Verlander's powerful right arm. The pressure will be on him to establish a rhythm early on.

That's something Verlander could not do in Game 1, as he gave up a run in the first inning despite not allowing a hit. He threw just 14 of his 25 pitches for strikes, and walked two hitters.

While nobody is about to mistake him for Greg Maddux, Verlander's control is typically much better than that. The troubling part is that he walked four men in each of his two starts against the Yankees in the regular season, and he looked like he was headed down that path once again in Game 1.

All of this being said, we are still talking about a pitcher who had the most dominant year by any starting pitcher in recent memory, so the Tigers will probably feel pretty comfortable with Verlander out there. The same goes for the home crowd.

Either way, I don't think it would be a stretch to call Game 3 a must win for the Tigers. If they win, they'll have a chance to win the series at home in Game 4. If they lose, they'll have to stave off elimination in Game 4 and then head back to New York for Game 5.

To avoid backing themselves into that kind of corner, Verlander will have to be great. Given the kind of season he just had, surely that can't be asking too much.