What's wrong with Justin Verlander?

Well, it seems an unlucky series of events has conspired to make the Tigers' ace 1-6 after he took a loss Thursday night against Boston.

Verlander's fastball is his bread-and-butter pitch. The last few starts he's been in the mid-90s—where he usually is and where he needs to be to make his other pitches fall into place.

Changeup? It's been there in virtually every start.

Curve? It's been spotty once in a while, but generally it's been effective.

One obvious factor is run support. Last year the Tigers scored seven runs per nine innings when Verlander pitched. This year that number is less than three.

And in four of his six losses, there has been a big zero on the board for the Tigers when Verlander left ...More