Justin Verlander, the Detroit Tigers ace and highest-paid pitcher in the game of baseball, has not pitched poorly in 2013, but he has fallen far short of the lofty expectations set for a pitcher of his caliber.
Recently Kate Upton, the blonde Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue bombshell who has been linked to the hurler, and recently set the internet on fire by going topless on a horse, fired what appeared to be a shot at Verlander via Twitter. She tweeted a birthday message to a good friend of Verlander, Frank Viola III, including an e-car that read, "Happy birthday to a friend of a friend that I now like more than the original friend."
Many interpreted that as an insult toward the pitcher, and used it as confirmation that the two were once "more than friends" and have had some kind of split that was less than amicable. Now, it might be fair game to wonder whether Verlander's got Upton on his mind rather than the batters standing at home plate.
Right now, Verlander's ERA sits at 3.90, up from the 2.64 mark he notched last season, and 150 points higher than his 2011 ERA. In 2011 he didn't just capture the American League Cy Young award; he also took home the AL MVP.
He is walking nearly a full batter more per game than he did last season, and allowing two more hits per nine innings. Verlander has never admitted to a relationship of any kind with the sultry swimsuit vixen, and it she may not have a role in his performance dip, but something is off with him.
Tigers fans looking for some good news can look no further than his strikeout per nine innings, which is at 10.2, the highest of his career. He has also experienced no significant spike in his home runs per nine, who may indicate he's going through a period of shoddy luck that will eventually pass.
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