What about the Lions???

I've gotten a couple of emails about not paying attention to the Lions as they open training camp. This is their 75th year, you know, and it's time for some reflecting. At the Lions Web site, there is a link for voting for the all-time Lions team. Can anyone come up with 22 players? That might be difficult.
My response: Wake me up when they get to the Super Bowl.
I'm so sick, tired and pissed off over this organization that, in some ways, they simply fail to exist for me. I mean, no organization in sports history has ever been so incapably managed. From the coaching staff to the front office to ownership, the Lions are a JOKE.
Matt Millen? C'mon, Adam Sandler has as much experience and knowledge in running a pro football team as Millen. In fact, I dare say that the remake of "The Longest Yard" might have Lions officials thinking Sandler is a candidate to replace Millen. How do these folks make their decisions?
I've been watching the team since the early 1960s, and I can't figure out where they are going, what they are doing. The QB rollercoaster has been intriguing, from the Milt Plum-Karl Sweetan years to now, the Kitna years. They're really never had a big-time QB. I thought Greg Landry and Chuck Long were the closest they ever got to the elite QB, but Landry bounced through bad coaching, as did long. And Long hurt his arm, which basically killed his NFL career.
Andre Ware, Scott Campbell ... give me a break.
And that's just one position.
So I'll wait on the sidelines for the Lions. Consider me a casual observer. Again, wake me up when they get to the Super Bowl.

Angels make neat deal

For a team that stands by its young players and doesn't make too many moves at the trade deadline, the Angels pulled off a nice feat today. Getting Mark Teixeira from the Braves was a sweet move. I like the Angels, in that they develop their young players and play very good defense. They pitch and pick it, plus they pressure other teams with their running.
They are so different from the Tigers, who only score when they hit. Last night's shutout loss to the Tribe was the Tigers' 11th, the most shutout losses in the majors.
Now, with Teixeira, the Angels have some traditional offensive pop to go with Vlad Guerrero, a strong running game, solid pitching and stingy defense. Right now, I like the Angels to make a strong run for the Series.
This brings us to the Tigers, and I just hope they try to move Sh*tfield and Renteria. Who needs the rotund shortstop, I can't tell you. And who wants a DH who would have trouble hitting in a slow-pitch softball league? Perhaps someone, anyone will take Pudge, who is a total waste.
Moving two of these guys or even one would be such a great deadline roster adjustment. I'd rather leave the spot in the lineup vacant than play ShI*tfield. And the last time Pudge got a big hit he was helping the Marlins win a title. Maybe the Fish will want him again. And Renteria ... did you read the Detroit papers? They're trying to tell us that he's getting back on track after about a week of pop-fly hits. When's the last time he hit the ball hard?
I think a team like the Tigers can help itself by subtracting unproductive players. But it's hard to believe that NO team in the majors would want Sh*tfield, Pudge or Renteria. At one time, these guys were all-star performers. At one time. That's the key.

It ain't so easy

After Sunday's effort by Fernando Rodney, we can see that playing closer in the major leagues isn't as easy as one might assume. Now, I am as guilty as everyone else in calling for Leyland to make some moves, including replacing Todd Jones as the closer. But just shuffling one person in doesn't make it work. Rodney was 3-and-2 on everyone yesterday, and it's good fortune he closed the game. He made 40 pitches, and, of course, that mean's he's shot for two days.
Closer means working back-to-back games and getting out of jams in as few pitches as possible. In that respect, Rodney won't be able to cut it. He throws far too many balls; so does Joel Zumaya, the other candidate. But Zumaya is a more ready candidate, because he has that big heater, a 100 mph fastball, plus, he seems to have more of a closer's mentality.
But it appears Leyland will have to close by committee, and that is NEVER a good thing for a team chasing a pennant.
Really, though, does anyone think the Tigers are in the hunt? After yesterday's triumph over the ChiSox, the Tigers are 6.5 games out of first and have lost 4 of 6 vs. Minnesota and Chicago after the break. The losing in the division continues -- Detroit is 18-26 vs. Central teams -- so the Tigers, in reality, are out of it. If you can't beat the teams in your division, you have NO chance.
Here's what I'd like to see the team accomplish before Thursday's trade deadline:
1) Ship out Shit-field for anything or anyone. Let Joyce, Raburn and Thames rotate between the left-field spot and the DH role. Thames and Joyce have shown to be more productive than Shit-field in far fewer at-bats, and they each seem to relish clutch roles.
2) Get rid of Renteria. He's god-awful, at the plate and in the field. Who wants him, though? Who needs an over-the-hill, washed-up shortstop with a big contract?
3) Even if they don't lose Renteria, get Jack Wilson from the Pirates to play short. At 31, Wilson doesn't fit the Pirates' game plan for the next few years. Plus, he's in a huge slump (4 for 31), but he can pick it in the field, and he's a career .272 hitter. He gives the team defense and good situation hitting, something it desperately needs.
4) Other than the Fantastic Five (Cabrera, Guillen, Polanco, Granderson and Ordonez), every player should be on the block. This is time to sell, to reshape this team for the next two seasons. The pitching staff also can be reshaped; only Verlander, Zumaya, Galarraga and Rodney should be considered "keepers." Bonderman, of course, is hurt and will be back, but everyone else can be replaced. The time to reshape is now, and, who knows, it might work to the team's advantage.
Getting better defensively, ridding themselves of Shit-field and perhaps finding a closer in the minors, etc. might put them in the hunt for at least the wild card. (But the East is where that spot is going to be filled, either by the Yankees, Rays or Red Sox.)
If the Tigers were smart, they'd make some deals NOW. But, I don't think it will happen. They fancy themselves as a team in the hunt, and that's bad news. At 53-51, the Tigers are in no position to make a run.

Heartbreaker

So, here's why the Tigers are destined to fail this year. OK, they might very well come back to win the next two in this series vs. the ChiSox, but I doubt it. I doubt, too, that they will suffer as bad a loss as Friday's 6-5 killer. A two-run bomb by Jermaine Dye won it for the ChiSox. The bomb came off of Todd Jones, and it shows a few major differences in the two teams. First, the ChiSox have Bobby Jenks as their closer and the Tigers have Jones. The ChiSox get big hits from their big guns, like Dye; when it comes time for the Tigers' big stars to perform, they fizzle.
Take my buddy, Pudge, for instance. That was a nice DP grounder to kill the rally in the Tigers' third inning. Plus, he made a fine play on the passed ball and then the throwing error -- with TWO OUT -- in the seventh. His passed ball and subsequent error allowed the tying run to score.
Carlos Guillen did get a huge hit, a bases-empty homer, to give the Tigers a 5-4 lead in the eighth. But these Tigers simply let too many chances slip away. The real good players in this lineup -- Granderson, Polanco, Ordonez and Cabrera -- are surrounded by far too many one-dimensional has-beens (like Renteria). And, of course, Shit-field and Pudge. Those two really had a chance to end the game right there in the third inning, but Shit-field can't hit the ball out of the infield, and Pudge taps into an inning-ending DP.
A killer loss. I don't think they'll win the next two, either.

Most important series of season?

With 60-plus games to go, it is a bit difficult to say such a thing. But in the case of the Tigers, it probably is the most crucial series of the season. With Minnesota losing three at NY this week, and the Tigers taking 5 of 7 on a road trip, the Central race tightened up a bit. Just think if the Tigers could have won that one game in Baltimore, in which they blew a 6-0 lead and lost a 10-9 lead in the ninth? They'd be 4.5 games out of first and two games back of second-place Minnesota.
Even if they take two of three this weekend from the ChiSox, the Tigers will still be stuck in third and still chasing two teams. The only way they make the playoffs, unfortunately, is having a huge, huge second half. And that blown game in Baltimore is something they MUST avoid.
Game 1 of this series is in the hands of Nate Robertson, and, quite frankly, he's been a tad better than awful this season. He's the pitcher who failed to hold onto the 6-0 lead in Baltimore, and it seems for every good outing he's had this season he's had about four terrible ones.
The Tigers need their pitchers to round into shape, especially the starters. Verlander and Galarraga look fine, and they seem to go deeper into games to take the pressure of the bullpen. But everyone else just milks the pen; and an overused pen is not the way to come from behind in a pennant race.
Robertson is a key figure in this second half. He's blown one sure victory; let's see if he can get the Tigers off to a good start tonight.

Checking back in

Been busy, but I've still been following the Tigers. The Game 3 loss vs. the Orioles in the first series after the break really, really bothered me. Up 6-0, the Tigers lost 11-10 in 1o innings.
This game typifies the Tigers' season; in a game they needed to win and apparently had sewn shut, they lose.
The took the final game for a split, then opened up last night with a thumping of the Royals. The problem is that the Tigers need to win virtually every series from now till the end of the year.
The split vs. The Birds doesn't cut it. No matter who pitches, no matter who hits where, this Tigers' team seems to come up short when it ABSOLUTELY needs to win.
Can you say .500 team?

What would you do?

You're the manager of the Tigers...what do you do in the second half? For the most part, I expect Jim Leyland to stand pat. He won't make any drastic changes. The rotation will be Verlander, Robertson, Rogers and Galarraga, with a fifth starter, when needed, coming from the minors or bullpen.
The platoon at catcher, with Pudge and Inge, also will continue.
Now, here's where it gets a little tricky. I like the idea of a three-way platoon in left field and DH between the two rookies, Thomas and Joyce, along with Thames. At least until the two young left-handers -- Thomas and Joyce -- stop hitting. I also like to see Thames as the DH once in a while in that rotation.
Here's the rub: that means the Tigers should release Sheffield. Dump his sorry bat and his awful ability to situation hit. They did this to Dmitri Young two years ago, when he stopped hitting and his personal problems (supposedly) entered the clubhouse. Getting rid of Sheffield would alleviate any problems in the future, like a whiny Sheff complaining about his playing time, at-bats, etc.
The other move would be to make Zumaya the closer, period. I know, if Jones doesn't close, then what do you do with him? It might be time to remake the bullpen, because if the Tigers don't win this year then they need to make some moves for next season. You have to find out about Rodney, too, so making him the setup man might be the other adjustment to the pen. Jones could be a guy to get 1-2 outs in the middle of the game, a RH specialist.
So, release Sheff and put Zumaya in the tought spot of closing. It won't happen, but it should. The Tigers have to do some drastic things to get ready for a run, if not this season then for next season.

Salvaging a game=Even at the break

Well, first, I didn't think the Tigers would go 30-20 to reach .500 at the break (47-47), but they did just that. Too bad, however, they had to come up almost empty vs. the Twinkies in the four games before the All-Star break. They won just one of four, and that was Sunday's 4-2 triumph behind Justin Verlander, who pitched seven good innings, and a solid bullpen effort (one scoreless inning each by Zumaya and Jones).
Now, can you see 50-18 or 48-20 over the next 68 games? Neither can I. But that's what it is going to take for the Tigers to win 97 or 95 games, and I believe that's what it will take to win the Central. The White Sox are not going away. Neither are the Twins. And those two teams simply hammer the Tigers. The Twins are 11-5 vs. Detroit, and the ChiSox are 5-4. Detroit is 14-24 vs. the Central Division and have a winning record only against the Tribe. The second half does not have interleague play, and, remember Detroit won 13 of 18 vs. NL teams to get back into the race (barely, at seven games back of the ChiSox and 5.5 behind the Twins).
The Tigers really, really needed to take 3 of 4 from the Twinkies. That they didn't means, to me, a season of 85-87 wins, and that gets them third in the Central.

Right back where they started

The Tigers pulled into the race with their lovely record vs. the National League. But today, they are 46-46 and still seven full games behind the Central-leading White Sox.
Last night's loss to the Twins was particularly disturbing to me, because once again the failure of supposedly key players -- Pudge and Shit-field, to be precise -- reared its ugly head.
Let's be frank, the Tigers' re-signing of Pudge and their acquisition of Shit-field were terrible moves. First, why didn't the Tigers get a platoon going with a player like Brian Schneider, whom was available from the Nationals, and Johnny Estrada? It would have saved money, made them younger and given them a proven defensive catcher who can handle a staff (Schneider)? Surely, Dombrowski should hav e seen that Pudge has NOTHING left offensively and was NEVER a handler of pitchers, despite the catcher's reputation as a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
Granted, Schneider is hitting .250 with 2 HRs and 19 RBI, and Estrada has been out virtually all season with a bad elbow. Buy their combined salaries are a little over $2 million. Pudge, who gets $13 million, is hitting .288 with 4 HRs and 29 RBI. His on-base percentage is .333; Schneider's is .324. Pudge is a waste, a huge waste.
And Shit-field, well, anyone who watched his last season-and-half with the Yankees had to know he was done or close to it. But the Tigers jumped at the chance to acquire him and add a couple of years to his contract.
Good move. Two has-beens who consistently make outs and really drag down the offense.
This offense was supposed to carry the team; not the pitching, remember. And in the last two losses, both to the Twins, the Tigers needed someone (other than Cabrera or Guillen) to produce offensively. With Ordonez out, it would have been a good time for Pudge and Shit-field to step up.
Not a chance. These two has-beens, boneheads and free-swingers are AUTOMATIC outs.
And, so the Twins win another from the Tigers (that's 9 of 11 since the Tigers won two in a row from them in the first month of the season).
The best the Tigers can do know vs. the Twins is split this four-game series, and that won't be good enough.

Twins are KILLERS

The Twins look at the Tigers like a rat eying cheese, like a snake preying upon an unsuspecting rabbit, like a wolf drooling over a lamb chop.
It's comical, really, how the Twins just hammer the Tigers. After sweeping the Tribe in that two-game series, the Tigers had a six-run lead in yesterday's game vs. the Twinkies. Bang, bop, wham. The Twins get a two-run ninth to tie the game at 6-6, then get an 11th-inning bases-empty homer from Justin Morneau to win it.
It's laughable. Like classic Rodney Dangerfield. The Twins can't respect the Tigers; no deficit is too large, no obstacle is too imposing. If it's Twins vs. Tigers, bet the ranch on the the team from the Twin Cities.
This year, the Tigers are 4-8 vs. the Twins and 13-22 vs. teams in the Central. The four victories over the Twins include a two-game sweep early in the year, so since then the Tigers have lost 8 of 10 vs. Minnesota.
Yesterday, folks will want to blame rookie pitcher Freddie Dolsi, who allowed Morneau's bomb. But let's really hammer the Tigers' offense, which stranded the bases loaded with one out and failed to push across the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
Pudge Rodriguez struck out to end the inning. And he struck out on a ball, high in the zone. "Pig" Rodriguez -- and we call him that because he is an absolute SLOB at the plate, with no discipline, no idea, no self-control, virtually always fails in these situations.
The Twins, too, failed in the 10th, leaving the bases loaded. But they put the ball in play, and their final two at-bats of the innings were good ones.
And this inning, despite their failure, shows that the Twins beat the Tigers because they continue to do little things well, like advancing runners and having good at-bats.
The Tigers, well, here's where they need three in a row. And here's where they WON'T get it, guaranteed.

Good start

With now five games left before the All-Star break, last night's rout of the Tribe was the start the Tigers desperately needed. They need a big run, five of six, in these two series vs. Cleveland (2 games) and Minnesota (4 games). A split with the Twins just won't do it, and losing tonight to the lowly Tribe is not an option.
The Tigers are 12-21 vs. the Central Division, and getting that record squared is one of the most important tasks of the season right now.
After the break, the Tigers have three games vs. Seattle and then six more games vs. Cleveland (2) and the Twinkies (4). That's 12 of the next 15 vs. Central opponents, including one -- the Twinkies -- who are one rung ahead of them in the standings.
Justin Verlander did not get off to the best of starts last night, allowing a two-run homer in the first inning. And, at times, it appears Verlander throws instead of pitches. But his natural ability was good enough against the Tribe. Good sign to see Thames hit to right, and a good sign to see other players contribute.
It appears Cabrera, sore left calf and all, has found his stroke. He reminds me of Manny Ramirez, and that's a scary thought for opposing pitchers. Thames is not always a tough out; he seems to swing from his heels. But he has a penchant for delivering clutch hits, and that's something hard to teach.
I'd like to see Leyland give Renteria a break (maybe for the next 80-plus games). He's a player who looks shot, at the plate and in the field. I like the kid shortstop, Mike Hollimon, and his range. Hope he plays a couple of games here before the break, to perhaps breathe a little life into the infield.
Anyway, the tough stretch is ahead.

PS: Twinkies lost last night to the BoSox, with Manny Ramirez launching a two-run game-tying homer in the decisive eighth inning. Nice to see the Twinkies blow one late, for a change.

Important stretch

OK, Twinkies lost last night and they play the Red Sox in a tough series. If the Tigers can rev it up here in the next six games, they can close ground on the two leaders in the Central Division.
It's Verlander tonight, and the ace needs to be sharp. The Indians have to be hanging their heads, dragging, etc., after management dealt C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee. The trade signals an end to the Tribe's chances for this year, telling players that the front office has given up on the race.
For the Tigers, 11-21 vs. teams in their division, a good stretch is crucial here. If they can get within 4-5 games of the leader, the ChiSox, by the break, that would be a good sign. The Twinkies and Tigers meet for three right before the break, so there's a chance to pick up ground vs. the second-place team.
Then again, the ChiSox start a series with K.C. tonight, and the ChiSox are 23-11 in the division.
It's time to make some noise.

Scary signs resurface

It's almost silly, really, when you think about it. The Tigers' hitting was supposed to carry the pitching. Scoring runs in bunches, the Tigers were supposed to be able to cover for a suspect pitching staff. After all, this Murderer's Row appeared as lethal as the 1927 Yankees, right?
It hasn't happened, and yesterday's victory -- 2-1 over Seattle in 15 innings -- showed again that the Tigers' real weakness is what we all perceived to be their strength. This is a bad offensive team, by major-league standards.
They struggled in losing their last two in Minnesota, before moving west to Seattle. Then they struggled in the last two games vs. the lowly Mariners. In the last 24 innings vs. Seattle pitching, the Tigers had three runs. And one of those runs came against a third-string catcher who was pitching because the Mariners couldn't figure out how to use their bullpen.
Too often the Tigers seem to be running in quicksand at the offensive end of things.
Once again, they are at .500 (44-44). I confess I did not see them getting to this mark this early. I expected they would reach .500 much later in the season, closer to 120 games. But, no matter. They still trail the ChiSox by seven games and second-place Minnesota by six. Those are large margins, even this early in the season. They have the Indians and the Twins, six straight games vs. Central Division foes, this week, before the All-Star break.
The Tigers are 11-21 vs. the Central, and therein lies the problem. When you can't beat the teams in your division, it's unlikely you'll be the team to win it.
The Tigers need five of six or four of six here to make another bit of noise. If they can pull to within five back at the break, you might sense hope.
The problems, however, are two-fold. I don't expect the ChiSox or the Twinkies to fold. I expect them to stay in this thing. Through 88 games apiece, these two teams have shown they have some consistent features.
And the other issue is the the Tigers. When your strength actually is a weakness, you've really got problems.

What's Leyland to do?

So, Jim Leyland stayed with Fernando Rodney in the 8th inning last night, and the result was a two-run bomb by Seattle's Jeff Clement and a 3-2 loss for the Tigers. Clement hit two homers for the Mariners, who now have won two in a row vs. Detroit. The Tigers (42-43) got a gutsy pitching effort from righty Armando Galarraga, who I like more and more with every outing.
Galarraga doesn't have the best stuff, but he has the ability to make good pitches when he needs to. He was off last night, throwing a lot of balls and allowing lots of baserunners. But he allowed one run and had a 2-1 lead when he left after six. He has the knack for wriggling out of trouble.
Unlike Rodney.
I'm not sure why Leyland stayed with Rodney in the eighth. He had a fresh Joel Zumaya for the eighth and a fresh Todd Jones to close. Why did he try to stretch Rodney? (No one in the Detroit media asked this question, you will notice.)
Perhaps to develop confidence, but Leyland could have done that by pulling him after his one-inning, the seventh, when Rodney, coincidentally, got out of trouble (two on, one out).
But this is the season it has been and probably will be. Again, the Tigers did not hit. Leyland complained about his players' swings, and, of course, he is right. As for his moves, well ...
Whenever he seems to make one, the chances are iffy of it turning out positive. It's the wrong pitcher, the wrong pinch-hitter, the wrong lineup ... whatever. That's because he's been stuck with an inconsistent roster, players who can't adjust or tweak their games when the situations call for it. That's whey he likes the young guys, like Rayburn and Thomas and Holliman. They battle at the plate, work the count, hustle in the field. That's not what he always gets from his stars. (Here's an APB for Gary Sheffield.)
I think we've seen the Tigers at their worst (an 0-7 start and 10-games under .500) and their best (an 18-4 run that put them at .500). Now, it's going to be .500 for the rest of the season. I see them at 83-85 wins at best, and that won't get it done in the Central.
By the way, both the ChiSox and Twinkies won last night. The Tigers trail the ChiSox by 7 and the Twinkies by 6.
It looks like a good race. With the Tigers watching it instead of being in it.

The mysterious case of the up-and-down offense

I know Erik Bedard is an excellent young lefty starter, and I know he's capable of shutting down teams. But the Tigers offense showed again why this just might be a .500 season -- all season.
Manager Jim Leyland said the Tigers did a "bad job" of hitting, and how many times has he said that in 86 games? Bedard was throwing his curveball time and time again, and the Tigers just never seemed to be able to adjust. OK, he was just wild enough to keep hitters off balance, and he was just bulldoggish enough to work out of any tight spot. But what I keep asking myself is when are the Tigers going to adjust to a pitcher? When are these high-priced hitters going to go the other way with a curveball or look for a first-pitch fastball, whatever the situation dictates?
Too many of the Tigers are set in the offensive ways: Sheffield, Renteria, Pudge (collectively 1-for-11 yesterday) ... we can go on.
Ordonez, who is injured, and Guillen are two who can and often do adjust. Polanco, too. Granderson is a nice work in progress. But too many of the other guys just seem so set in their ways. When they are on, they are very, very good. But when they are off, they look silly. There is simply NO in between.
So, the Tigers are five back of the Twins, who won again, and six back of the ChiSox, the Central leaders. I think this is how it's going to be all season. The Tigers have had their run, so now it's going to be a second half of third place. A second-half futile chase.

Critical season for Jimmy Howard

Lost in the shuffle was the Wings' signing of Ty Conklin, the goaltender who helped the Penguins when Marc Andre Fleury went down. The signing tells me that maybe, just maybe, the front office has some reservations about Jimmy Howard, their No. 1 pick a few years ago out of Maine.
I have like Howard's size and competitive spirit in the few games I've seen. But, he did not have a great season at Grand Rapids, and this leads me to believe that Conklin, not Howard, will be the No. 2 netminder behind Ozzie.
In some ways, I hope I am wrong. Conklin is a journeyman; Howard is a young, potentially No. 1 goalie in the NHL. Let's hope he's ready for the competition come September and that he can secure the No. 2 job. I like the idea of promoting from within.
If Howard fails at this chance, the Wings are going to be in the hunt for Buffalo's Ryan Miller, the East Lansing native and former MSU standout, in a year or two. I believe Miller is on the final year of a contract, and the Sabres have not been aggressive in re-signing their own free agents.

Welcome to Hockeytown, Marian

I was surprised, pleasantly so, that Marian Hossa, the top free-agent sniper in the NHL free-agent pool, signed with the Wings. First, it's rare in sports that a prize free agent gives up security; Hossa did, turning down long-term deals for up to $9 million annually to sign a one-year, $7.4 million deal with Detroit. But, apparently, he wanted to be with a winner more than he wanted the big bucks. Second, I thought the Wings might be in trouble getting Brad Stuart, and I believed he was a priority. That they got both players, well, is there another vision of Lord Stanley's Cup dancing in my dreams?
Let me come out now and say I don't think the Wings will repeat. It's too difficult in sports to repeat in any of the major leagues, especially in hockey. You need a bit of luck in the postseason draw, which the Wings had this year, and you need one of the top contenders to get upset (like Anaheim this year). But over the next 2-3 years, I like them "knocking on the door," as coach Mike Babcock phrases it.
In any event, where do the Wings play Hossa? I guess anywhere, right? He would be comfortable with any of the Wings top 8-9 forwards. I just hope the Wings still have enough ice time for Valtteri Filppula, who I believe can be one of the premier forwards in the NHL.
As for Stuart, I like this move even more than signing Hossa. He's in for four years, and that means the Wings have the muscle and depth in the back they have so sorely missed in recent Cup runs. With kids like Meech, Quincey and Ericsson in reserve, the team has some quality coming through the ranks. No need to rush them.
I like it.

Those Terrible Twins

Terrible in the sense that they just hammer the Tigers. After winning the opener of this three-game set in Twinkie Town, the Tigers lost the next two, including Wednesday afternoon's 7-0 laugher.
Here's the problem, now, with the Tigers. They have spent so much energy getting back to .500 that you wonder if this is it for them. In baseball, every team wins 60 and loses 60, so the season basically is a 40-game stretch somewhere between April and Indian Summer. I mean, think about it, the Tigers went 18-4 to get back over .500. Is that their best stretch of the season? Is that it for them?
They still give away at-bats as an offense, and their pitching is erratic. Their ace, Justin Verlander, likely will have his worst season in professional baseball. Can he at least beat Seattle tonight? I mean, the Mariners are the worst team in the AL, right? You think the Tigers can get back on track against a struggling team like the Mariners? If Verlander doesn't dominate tonight, that's a bad, bad sign.
As much as they've made it interesting -- and I waver on this with almost every game -- I still see too many signs of inconsistency.
Plus, they have the worst record in their division in inter-divisional play, 11-21 now. The Central-leading White Sox are, by comparison, 24-11 in the division, and the Twins are 21-16. At 42-42 overall, just think where the Tigers would be if they had a .500 record in the division.
The Tigers climbed back into the race playing the National League in interleague competition. The NL looks like the weaker league, and it has for a couple of seasons. Now that the Tigers are back playing in the AL, I suspect their record will fall back to more reasonable numbers.
I think this is an 80-85 win team, sorry to say. I was jaded by the 18-4 run; the Twins, those Terrible Twins, put things right.

Points for spirit; high-fives for win

Since the Tigers beat the Twins about as often as George Bush says something intelligent, last night's 5-4 come-from-behind triumph was, well, virtually inconceivable. Especially since they kicked the ball around to fall behind 4-1. Three errors and stinky at-bats, well it had me thinking it was April instead of the last day of June.
You could tell this one was special as the Tigers high-fived each other after the last out. They looked giddy, excited, like a bunch of 12-year-old boys finding their Dads' Playboy stash.
But if you've been watching closely, Granderson and Polanco are starting to pile up base-hits, and the Tigers recently have had a knack for getting a clutch hit, sparkling defensive play or important relief effort.
On Monday, it was Matt Joyce, with a run-scoring, game-tying pinch triple in the eighth. Granderson followed with a looping single to center, giving the Tigers their 5-4 lead.
In the pitching department, Joel Zumaya come in to retire five batters for his first save this year and the third of his career. That makes it 18 victories in their last 22 games. An unreal stretch when you think back to April and May.
By the way, the Tigers are 11-19 against teams in the Central Division. Against Minnesota this year, the Tigers are 4-5. If they were just 15-15 vs. their own division, think about it ...