Scherzer, not Verlander, gets Game 1 nod for Tigers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland announced his starting rotation for the American League Division Series against the Oakland Athletics, with 21-game winner Max Scherzer getting the Game 1 start for the defending AL champs.
Scherzer gets the nod for Friday's opener over Justin Verlander, who had a down year in 2013.
Scherzer was 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 32 starts this season. He led the majors in wins, was second with 240 strikeouts and was fifth in the AL in ERA.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Verlander, who will start Game 2, posted a 13-12 record with a 3.46 ERA and 217 strikeouts in 34 starts.
Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister round out the four-man rotation.
Sanchez led the AL with a 2.57 ERA while going 14-8 in 29 starts, while Fister went 14-9 with a 3.67 ERA in 32 starts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Scherzer would get the Game 5 start if necessary.