vs.
So the players who were essentially trade for each other meet at last! Twice this season they've missed their rotation turns by just a day. Of course, it wasn't a one-for-one trade last December. Austin Jackson, Daniel Schlereth and Phil Coke were also involved. It's a trade that has turned out quite well for the Tigers.
Try this on for size, courtesy of the Tigers game notes: "Jackson is one run scored and one hit shy of becoming just the seventh player since 1960 to collect at least 90 runs scored, 160 hits, 30 doubles and 20 stolen bases in his rookie season. He would join Hanley Ramirez (2006), Ichiro Suzuki (2001), Nomar Garciaparra (1997), Devon White (1987), Juan Samuel (1984) and Ryne Sandberg (1982)."
And of course, Scherzer leads the Tigers starters in ERA and is second in strikeouts. He's eighth in the AL at 8.41 strikeouts per nine innings, too. After a slow start to the season, he's been red-hot recently. He has had an ERA of 1.85 during his last 10 games, and his ERA is just 2.11 since he adjusted his mechanics during a short stay in Toledo. There was a reason I was (not literally) jumping up and down in excitement for his arrival, and that was why.
Jackson, meanwhile, was a great acquisition by the White Sox. He's 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA in their uniform. He's struck out at least 10 batters in each of his last three starts, too. Uh-oh.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you Manny Ramirez is now a Sock, which is a bit disconcerting because he's hit 26 home runs and has a .308 average against Detroit.
See what happens when I do the pre-game? You're forced to read. (You did read, right?)