Can Justin Verlander Win The Pitching Triple Crown?

He now leads the AL in wins, strikeouts and ERA.

Wins
1. J. Verlander DET 21
2. C. Sabathia NYY 19
3. J. Weaver LAA 16

Strikeouts
1. J. Verlander DET 224
2. C. Sabathia NYY 211
3. F. Hernandez SEA 204

ERA
1. J. Verlander DET 2.34
2. J. Weaver LAA 2.49
3. J. Beckett BOS 2.54

Weaver has seen his ERA rise quite a bit over his last two starts. After Aug. 24, Weaver's ERA was 2.03. He gave up 13 earned runs (ER) in 11 IP over those two starts. In fact, after his Aug. 5 shutout of Seattle, his ERA was 1.78. For all of August, his ERA was 4.28. He also gave up 8 ER in 4.2 IP against the Blue Jays on Aug. 13. Before the All-Star break his ERA was 1.86. Since then it has been 3.82.

Verlander seems to have been a little more steady. His ERA before the All-Star break was 2.15. Since then it is 2.75. Since June 15, his ERA has been no lower than 2.15 and no higher than 2.38. Verlander has only once given up more than 4 ER (a 6 ER game) and has always pitched at least 6 innings in every start. He has only given up 4 ER 3 times and has not given up exactly 5 runs even once. 22 of his 30 starts had both 3 ER or less and 7 IP or more.

Click here to see all of the pitchers who won the triple crown at Baseball Almanac