Max Scherzer has been dominant of late, and making Justin Verlander look a little bit human in the process. (Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

For so long, fans have lauded Verlander as by far the best pitcher in the Tigers’ rotation. Club management obviously also recognizes him as such, having recently awarded the star, destined for the Hall of Fame, a deal that could pay him a record $202 million over eight years.

Verlander holds himself to a high standard, and fans expect him to reach it. Further, being on the same roster as Max Scherzer, Doug Fister, and Anibal Sanchez means Verlander must shine every night in order for fans to be pleased with his performance. That’s why starting the 2013 season with a 4-4 record and a 3.17 ERA is seen as disappointing.

Scherzer, meanwhile, has maintained a perfect 6-0 record this year after shutting down the Indians over eight innings last night. His ERA of 3.61 won’t shock anyone, but the right-hander with heterochromatic eyes has struck out 15 more batters and thrown almost a full inning per start more than Verlander has in the same number of games.

With Verlander leveling out slightly and Scherzer excelling, it might take a perfect game by the former to restore order—that is, after all, the most significant personal achievement he doesn’t yet have on his resume. If this goes on much longer, fans that have been paying attention may even trust Scherzer more on the mound in a must-win game.

But if fans have been paying attention for long enough, they know to be careful of a little thing called sample size. It’s fair to say Scherzer has been the best Tiger pitcher this year (even though Sanchez and Fister, who deserve more recognition themselves, have also had stellar seasons). But let’s push our sample a bit further and see how long this trend has lasted.

I compiled stats for the Tigers’ five starting pitchers going back to July 28th of last year, when Sanchez made his first start with the club, with postseason numbers included:

Verlander, I think, is still the chief of the Detroit staff looking at these numbers, though it’s a close call. He has thrown more innings in his starts than Scherzer, and has kept runners from coming around to score. That said, Scherzer has been better at keeping runners off the bases in the first place, and has done so in dominant fashion by striking out 11.32 batters per nine.

On the whole, these stats aren’t indicative of Verlander being overrated, as sports talk radio might suggest. Instead, they point to a much more encouraging fact for Tiger fans: the rest of the rotation is underrated. With Porcello excluded, all of their numbers are so comparable across the board it’s incredible. To have four pitchers with an ERA of 3.11 or lower, each having thrown at least 150 innings over the sample, is stunning.

Verlander is still Detroit’s number one. I’ll be okay, though, if Scherzer—or any other Tiger pitcher—keeps calling that into question, humanizing one of the best pitchers in history.

Duane Below may find that it’s easier to move up the ranks of the Miami Marlins organization than it was at his previous home. (Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)

The Tigers had dropped Below from their 40-man roster on Wednesday to make room for zombie closer Jose Valverde, surprisingly back from the unrestricted free agent list to assume his former role in the Detroit bullpen.

Below, 27, logged 75.1 innings for the Tigers over the last two years as both a starter and a reliever, and has a 4.06 ERA and a 43/19 K/BB ratio to show for it. After a poor spring training, he has not appeared in the major leagues this year, but went 1-2 with a 2.10 ERA in four starts this season at Triple-A Toledo.

The 19th-round Detroit draft pick of 2006 may have been a candidate for a spot start this year if the club eventually needs one. But three left-handers in the bullpen—Phil Coke, Drew Smyly, and Darin Downs—made his existence in the Tiger system less important. Further, left-handed prospect Casey Crosby is said to have a higher ceiling than Below and could also start for the Tigers this season if the need arises.

Having been born and raised in Britton, Mich., Below’s departure leaves the Tigers with only one Michigan-born player, Downs, of Southfield, on their 40-man roster.

The Detroit Tigers are 37-for-194 (.191) with the bats in their last five games, scoring six runs in 54 innings. (Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports)

Among the worst offenders with the bat is Austin Jackson, who was hitting .393 for the season after the game Tuesday of last week. Since then, though, he’s hitting .040/.111/.080 in 27 plate appearances. He has racked up ten strikeouts in the Tigers’ last five games. His season batting average has plummeted to .291.

At the opposite end of the lineup, Omar Infante has also struggled lately, hitting .111/.111/.111 in his last 18 plate appearances. Like Jackson, Infante also started the year well, coming into play April 17 with a .310 average. His only hits since then were two in the 13-inning loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Victor Martinez has continued to struggle, hitting .143/.250/.143 over 24 plate appearances in five games. He’s now hitting .182 for the year.

By going .178/.283/.200 in his last 14 plate appearances, Andy Dirks is now hitting .178 for the year. That would seem to open doors for Matt Tuiasosopo, but he has done himself no favors in the last five games, hitting .143/.333/.143 in nine plate appearances.

As a team, the Tigers have hit .191/.263/.242 over the past five games.