Armando Galarraga has been the ace of the starting rotation for the Tigers this season. His acquistion last off season was considered very minor at the time but he’s been the most important player they added to this point. Galarraga has been without a doubt the best pitcher on the Tigers’ pitching staff this season and it will be interesting to see if he can keep up the good work. If the Tigers are to contend in the 2nd half of the season for the playoffs Galarraga will have to keep pitching solid because they don’t have a lot to offer other teams in trade as they moved most of the big prospects to the Marlins over the winter.

It seems as if the lights have finally went on for Justin Verlander and Kenny Rogers who are both pitching very well as of late. Verlander has been especially dominating in his last six starts in which he is 2-3 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. His recent surge has seen his ERA drop from 6.43 to 4.65 and it will likely continue to go down as he really has pitched well lately. Still, his season numbers are not that good. He has started 14 games this season for the Tigers and he is 3-9 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Kenny Rogers also seems to have found the Fountain of Youth as he has really pitched well lately. His slider has been breaking like a whiffle ball and it seems that he has gained a couple of miles on his fastball. In his last 3 starts, Rogers is 0-0 with a 2.14 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. His season ERA has dropped from 6.66 three starts ago all the way down to 5.13 currently. Still, his season numbers are not pretty. He has started 13 games this season and he is 4-4 with a 5.13 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. The Tigers can’t contend without these two guys staying healthy and pitching well. With Jeremy Bonderman out for the season and Dontrelle Willis melting down the Tigers need Verlander and Rogers to pitch well more than ever.

No one could have ever predicted that Armando Galarraga would be the Tigers’ best starting pitcher this late in the season. After all, he didn’t even make the opening day roster of the Tigers. He has started 7 games for the Tigers this season and he is 3-2 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has been missing a lot of bats so far this season as he has only allowed 28 hits in 41.1 innings. The Tigers should leave Galarraga in the starting rotation and bump Nate Robertson to the pen now that Dontrelle Willis is ready to return from injury.

Curtis Granderson has really given the Tigers’ offense a huge boost since his return from the disabled list. He has played in 12 games for the Tigers this season and he is 14 for 45 (.311 avg, 1.192 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 5 homers and 9 RBIs. Look for the Tigers to follow Granderson’s lead and really start scoring a lot of runs soon.

With all of the injuries the bullpen has suffered, Zach Miner has stepped up and been an unsung hero this season for the Tigers.  He has worked 32 games (1 start) for the Tigers this season and he is 3-4 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.  He has pitched 51.1 innings and he has allowed 52 hits, walked 21 batters and whiffed 31.  The Tigers are now 83-70 which has them 7.5 games behind the Indians and 5 games behind the Yankees for the Wild Card.