Jim Leyland just did his little meet-and-greet with the media and said that Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit will not pitch in today’s potential elimination game. Or, to quote Leyland:
“I want to try to get through this game with Verlander and Coke”
I presume he means Phil, but for as dicey as this series is getting for the Tigers, who knows?
Seriously, though, he’s just facing facts here. Benoit and Valverde can’t have a thing left in the tank given how much they’ve been used lately. This is Justin Verlander’s game to win or lose. And to that end I put the over/under on how many pitches he throws at approximately three trillion. Really, we might just see his arm fall clean off in this game. And even as it dangles by a tendon, it’s probably the best option Jim Leyland has.
