Rangers vs. Tigers: Justin Verlander Will Keep Detroit Alive in ALCS

The Detroit Tigers are reeling from Jose Valverde's 11th inning collapse last night, which sent the Tigers into a 3-1 hole in the ALCS.

The series has now been placed on the shoulders of Justin Verlander, who has struggled mightily thus far in the postseason.

He has given up eight runs in just 13 innings, but he is still Verlander.

There wasn't anyone in the American League who was as dominant as Verlander was this year. He was absolutely incredible throughout the course of the season. He had a 2.40 ERA this season and won 24 of the 34 games in which he started.

The Tigers need him tonight. They need his best performance of the postseason if they are going to stay alive, and live to fight another day.

You don't become one of the best pitchers in the MLB by choking in the postseason. Verlander knows he is going to need to completely shutdown the Rangers in order to keep his team alive. It's not going to be easy, but it's something that he has to do.

He has some of the best stuff in the game, and he has had plenty of rest to get ready for this game. He should be fresh, and he should be able to pounce on the Rangers. He should be angry, and needs to come out throwing the ball hard.

The Rangers are not too familiar with Verlander, as he pitched against them just once this season. It was a complete game for Verlander, but he gave up two runs in a losing effort.

This is a huge game, and Verlander is the best the Tigers have. This is his chance to live up to the hype.

This will be a close battle, but Verlander will pull the Tigers through in the end.