Detroit Tigers: Don't Give Up Hope; Verlander and Scherzer Will Force a Game 7

It's not looking good, but nothing is impossible in postseason baseball.  The Tigers' backs are against the wall.  Every game is do-or-die from this point on. 

The pressure is on, and Tigers are going to have to put together three great games of baseball to take down the mighty Texas Rangers. 

There is no doubt that right now, the Rangers field the better team.  Not only are some of the major impact players on the Tigers hurt, but the Rangers also have a much better bullpen.  Also, the Rangers are taking advantage of opportunities to score runs.  Their hitters are finding gaps that the Tigers just aren't locating. 

However, the Tigers are not completely without their own advantages.  First of all, they have the better starting pitching.  Justin Verlander is ready to give a Cy Young performance tonight in an effort to keep his team within grasp of the World Series.  Max Scherzer has possibly been the best pitcher the Tigers have used throughout the postseason.  Doug Fister provided an amazing performance in Game 5 of the ALDS, and no Rangers fan wants to see him in a Game 7. 

Secondly, the Tigers' hitters are not producing.  Cabrera is hitting .276 this postseason, and Martinez is not far behind with his .188 batting average.  This is not good enough to win a championship, and they know it.  Every great player comes out of their slump, and tonight is going to be the night it happens.

The Tigers are beaten, battered, bruised, but are not backing down.  They are going to play through injuries because that is what champions do.  At some point, this perseverance is going to pay off.

Once the Tigers start hitting the way we've grown accustomed to in the regular season, it is going to come down to the starting pitching.  The last three games of the ALCS have been close, and this has happened even though the Tigers' bats have been kept relatively quiet. If the Tigers' starters can go at least seven innings in the next three games, the Tigers have a legitimate chance to seize control of the ALCS.  The pressure is on Verlander, Scherzer and Fister to send this team to the World Series. 

I learned a long time ago to never give up on this Tigers team.  This is the same team that won 12 games in a row only a month ago.  This is a team that was down 5-1 to the Orioles on August 13th only to come back with five runs of their own in the sixth inning to win the game. 

The road ahead for the Tigers is a difficult one, but not impossible.  In 2007, a Victor Martinez-led Cleveland Indians team was up 3-1 to the Red Sox in the ALCS.  They lost the next three, and the Red Sox went on to win the World Series. 

David Ortiz was quoted as saying, “Like I said, we still got to believe." 

The Detroit Tigers believe. Do you?