The upshot of today: no matter what happens in Game 3, A.J. Burnett will be starting an elimination game. I believe it was Karl Marx who said that history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second as farce. I'm not sure where a crucial postseason start by Burnett lies on the spectrum, but I'm leaning towards the latter. At least we can say that the Tigers didn't hit him particularly well this year (.190/.250/.286), even if his career ERA against them is somewhere in the fat sixes, and his career ERA at Comerica Park is 7.17, which is about this close to being a Boeing product. Besides, what position did Karl Marx ever play?
Everyone seems to love a good redemption story, so if it isn't going to be farce, Burnett will need to pitch better than he has in a long time. It doesn't seem likely, but it's more of a shot at a second chance than most of it will ever get.