Verlander almost throws another no-no

Verlander almost throws another no-no

And he picked a damned good time to do it, since he was facing Jered Weaver who, along with Sabathia, presents Verlander's stiffest competition for the AL Cy Young Award. Verlander is now 15-5, Weaver 14-5, Sabathia 15-5. After those three, the league's next highest win total is 11. Give a slight edge to Verlander on those W-L records, since he has amassed the same record as the other guys while pitching for a worse team. Verlander also has the best WHIP in the league and the most strikeouts. On the other hand, Weaver has the best ERA, and Sabathia has won 8 of his last nine (and allowed only two runs in the loss).

If the season ended today, a clear choice would be almost impossible to make. I guess I'd vote Verlander/Weaver/Sabathia in that order, but there are a lot of games left to play, as the cliche spouters like to say from behind the microphone.

And there are other guys (like Josh Beckett, for example, with his 2.17 ERA and the mighty Red Sox bats behind him) who could break from the pack and make a big press down the stretch.