Improvement By Fister And Scherzer Could Be Key To Second Half

Two consecutive solid starts by Doug Fister may have taken some of the pressure off the Detroit organization to give up a prime prospect to get a rotation-stabilizing pitcher.

The Tigers don't have a bad rotation, but they have a two-tier goal this year -- win the AL Central and the World Series -- and what they have right now might not be enough.

Detroit wouldn't be ashamed to trot Justin Verlander out for the first or last games of a postseason series (or both), but through most of this year, the Tigers haven't had Nos. 2 and 3 starters to match the way Fister and Max Scherzer pitched right up until Texas pushed Detroit out in the AL Championship Series last year.

Scherzer was spotty up until late June, when he began to turn in dominating performances again. His first start after the All-Star break was mediocre, though, and he'll be trying to show Thursday that was just a fluke.

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