Coming out of the all-star break, the Tigers had about 10 games or so to figure out whether they were buyers or sellers. Or not.

Dave Dombrowski claims the Tigers won’t be sellers, no matter what the standings look like at the trade deadline. Will they be buyers? He doesn’t expect to be. On the other hand, the Freep reports the Tigers were scouting the Orioles-Blue Jays series, possibly looking at a pitcher, because of Freddy Dolsi’s sore shoulder. (Injuries happen to every team, but they really seem to be chasing the Tigers harder than most these past two seasons…) But this series’ implications on the trade deadline is only one reason it’s big.

A sweep by either team is a 6-game swing. The Tigers could find themselves 2.5 games behind the White Sox by Sunday afternoon. Or they could be 8.5 games out. 8.5 games means they’re almost certainly out of the playoff hunt. 2.5 games means they’re certainly in the playoff hunt. So from that perspective, it’s kind of a big deal.

But how likely is a sweep? I’d have to say, it’s not. So is this series huge? I’d have to say it’s really big. But the most likely scenario is the Tigers finish off Sunday’s game either 4.5 or 6.5 games out. I think Jeeves at the White Sox blog Life in the Cell really sums it up best, so I’m going to borrow his analogy. This is more like a primary election. A landslide is unlikely. I think intuitively we know that. The Tigers aren’t going to be swept. They just won’t. The White Sox aren’t going to be swept. They’ll come away with at least one. So we’ll know a bit more when it’s overwith, but it’s by no means a decider of the division pennant. The race will either be a game tighter or a game looser after the series.

So it’s not HUGE yet. But it’s still pretty big.

My prediction?

• Nate Robertson wows us in an un-Nate performance Friday, but the bullpen blows it.
• Verlander continues his ace-itude Saturday. Tigers cruise until the ninth, where the bullpen frightens fans due to the importance of the game.
• Zach Miner is hittable, but the Tigers’ offense is roaring. Detroit wins Sunday in a barn-burner.

So the way I see it, the Tigers are 4.5 out Sunday afternoon and fully in the race.

Blake also previewed the series, and Big Al tells us just how big it is. Hint: hide the barber shears!

By the way, be sure to check out Life in the Cell for the White Sox side of things throughout the weekend.

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