Tigers rotation nearly flawless in postseason

• The Tigers swept the Yankees in four games in the ALCS
• The Tigers' starting pitchers allowied two earned runs in 27 1/3 innings for a 0.66 ERA
• In nine postseason games, the Tigers' rotation combined for a 1.02 ERA

DETROIT — History dictates that the narrative of the 2012 American League Championship Series will be the New York Yankees' awful offense.

The Yankees managed six runs while being swept in four games by the Detroit Tigers, and their .157 batting average was the lowest recorded in the franchise's 71 postseason series. Things turned so badly that $275 million third baseman Alex Rodriguez was benched for the final two games.

Seemingly forgotten in the accounts of the ALCS was that the Tigers' starting pitchers were nearly flawless, allowing two earned runs in 27 1/3 innings for a 0.66 ERA.

With such a formidable rotation, the Tigers are a difficult foe no matter whom they face. In nine postseason games, including a five-game victory against the Oakland Athletics in the American League Division Series, the starters' ERA is 1.02.

"I can tell you one thing: In our clubhouse that hasn't been overlooked," Tigers catcher Alex Avila says of the rotation's performance in October. "Our guys have done great. Obviously when the Yankees struggle, people are going to talk about them not hitting, which is fine, but at the same time I think you have to give our guys credit."

Sweeping the ALCS gave the Tigers five days off before opening the World Series on the road Oct. 24 and afforded manager Jim Leyland the luxury of setting up his rotation.

That means ace Justin Verlander was scheduled to start Game 1 and be followed by fellow right-handers Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer.

"We have a lot of confidence and a lot of faith in the next guy, and I think that makes it easier on the starting pitcher the next day when you know that the guy going next, he's been throwing the ball well, too, so you don't have a ton of pressure on you to go out there and be perfect," Verlander says.

"In the postseason that's what it takes, because runs are not easy to come by and you're facing better pitching."

Verlander is the Tigers' clear ace and the AL's reigning MVP and Cy Young Award winner. While he didn't match his 25-5 record of 2011 — nothing to be ashamed of when you consider no major league pitcher had won that many games in a season since Bob Welch's 27 victories in 1990 for the Oakland A's — he had another outstanding season.

Verlander, 29, went 17-8 with a 2.64 ERA in 33 regular-season starts and led the league with 239 strikeouts, 238 1/3 innings pitched and six complete games. He has won all three postseason starts and allowed just two runs in 24 1/3 innings with 25 strikeouts and a 0.74 ERA.

Verlander's postseason track record had been uneven until this year, as he was 3-3 with 5.57 ERA in eight starts. However, Leyland feels Verlander has learned how to handle high-pressure situations.

"I don't think there is any question about it, he has matured a lot," says Leyland of his ace, who pitched in his first postseason (2006) as a 23-year-old. "When you reach that maturity point and have that kind of stuff, that is a pretty good combination."

That maturity showed in Game 3 of the ALCS when Verlander dominated the Yankees despite not being overpowering. He struck out just three batters but took a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning before Eduardo Nunez broke it up with a leadoff home run.

"You don't have to strike everybody out to get outs," Leyland says. "You can make them mishit the ball now and again. That's OK, too, and Justin has figured that out, which is another reason why he is a terrific pitcher."

Scherzer, 28, pitched well enough this season after a rocky start that he would be considered a No. 1 starter on many teams. He went 16-7 with a 3.74 ERA in 32 starts and his 231 strikeouts were second in the AL to Verlander.

Scherzer went just 2-3 with a 6.26 ERA in his first eight starts but turned his season around with a 15-strikeout performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 20. That came after making mechanical adjustments with Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones that allowed Scherzer to have better command of his low- to mid-90s fastball.

Scherzer went 14-4 with a 3.04 ERA in his last 24 starts despite dealing with the suicide of his brother in late June.

After being slowed by shoulder and ankle injuries in the final few weeks of the regular season, Scherzer is 1-0 with 0.82 ERA in two postseason starts, allowing one run in 11 innings.

He struck out 10 in just 5 2/3 innings against the Yankees in the Game 4 clincher.

"Scherzer, to me, he could strike out more than (Verlander)," says Jack Morris, who won 198 games in 14 seasons with the Tigers from 1977-90 and now works as analyst for MLB.com. "He has movement, he is funky, he has it all."

Sanchez and Fister, both 28, were in-season acquisitions the last two years who helped fill rotation voids and give the Tigers an extra push to consecutive AL Central titles.

The Tigers acquired Sanchez from the Miami Marlins on July 23 along with second baseman Omar Infante in a trade for three minor leaguers, including a pair of top prospects in right-hander Jacob Turner and catcher Rob Brantly.

Sanchez went 4-6 with a 3.74 ERA in 12 regular-seasons starts but finished strong by going 3-3 with a 2.15 ERA in his last eight outings. He is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA in two postseason starts and pitched seven shutout innings to beat the Yankees in Game 2.

"A lot of credit has to go to him because he put in a ton of work with myself and with Jones to get to know the American League hitters," Avila says. "That was a transition for him to get used to a new league.

"And the thing about him is he is the guy that can throw anything at any time and he's really fearless as far as throwing any pitch at any time in the count in any type of situation because he feels like he commands all of his pitches in the strike zone."

The Tigers got Fister from the Seattle Mariners in a six-player trade on July 30, 2011. After going 8-1 with the Tigers following the trade, he was 10-10 with a 3.45 ERA in 26 starts this season.

He pitched 6 1/3 scoreless inning against the Yankees in the ALCS and has a 1.35 ERA in two postseason starts without a decision.

The 6-foot-8 Fister set an AL record by striking out nine consecutive Kansas City Royals on Sept. 27 yet is not a power pitcher, relying primarily on a sinker and slider. He believes in being mentally strong, much like the Billy Chapel character played by Kevin Costner in the 1999 movie For Love of The Game.

"You got back to the movie and the saying, 'Clear the mechanism,'" Fister says. "Just everything goes silent. You don't hear the crowd. It's just you and the catcher. It's an amazing feeling and it's really unexplainable but they portrayed it really well in the movie.

"That's exactly how it is. It goes from a real broad focus to tunnel vision, knowing what you're doing, what the catcher is doing and being in the right frame of mind."

The Tigers' rotation is in the right frame of mind as Detroit gets ready for its first World Series appearance since 2006 and tries to win its first title since 1984.

"I think pitching is contagious, just like hitting is," Verlander says. "We are all competitive guys. We wouldn't be at this level if we weren't. You see somebody go out there and have a good game and you want to one-up that guy. He is your friend, I know, but it still gives you the urge to go out there and do better.

"It is nice to see us get rolling as a group, and hopefully we can continue it through the World Series."