Fans of the strikeout will get a juicy treat today at 1:08 p.m. today in Detroit, where Max Scherzer (7-0, 3.42 ERA) of the Detroit Tigers (31-26) pitches in the rubber match of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays (32-26). The game can be live streamed here; the Tigers' radio broadcast can be heard on 97.1 The Ticket, while the Rays broadcast is on WDAE 620.
Scherzer is well-known for being a strikeout artist, and he's lived up to that billing in 2013. He is third in Major League Baseball in strikeouts per nine innings (10.729), where he is sandwiched between teammates Anibal Sanchez (11.3) and Justin Verlander (10.726) and tied for fifth in total strikeouts (91) with the Cubs' Jeff Samardzija and the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw.
This season, though, Scherzer has gotten his stuff, and his walks, under control, posting a 0.89 WHIP, second only to Hisashi Iwakuma in MLB. Today, he has a chance to become the first Tigers pitcher since Jeremy Bonderman in 2007 to start a season 8-0. He left his last start with Detroit up 5-3 after eight innings against the Baltimore Orioles before closer Jose Valverde blew the lead.
When asked about not getting his eighth win, Scherzer said, "It's always frustrating. At the end of the day, I always think we have one of the better teams around, so hopefully this doesn't happen too often."
Scherzer will be opposed by Roberto Hernandez (3-5, 4.87 ERA), better known as Fausto Carmona. He has struggled for most of the season, but turned in a solid outing his last time out, going 8.2 innings and giving up just one run against the Miami Marlins.
"He's got good stuff, he knows how to pitch," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "A really nice breaking ball. A nice feel for what he's doing out there. He's going to be very good."
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
