First I’d like to thank Flying J, Big Al and Kyle J for answering my request for questions.

FlyingJ: How bad are the Tigs when Inge is catching? I can’t recall the Tigers winning with him backstopping. Does he have the ability to call a big league game?

me (with an updated answer):

Thanks Flying J.

I made the same mistake as you initially. I think I did it early this month actually. It came after Inge played catcher and the Tigers lost (as they did with him backstopping Sunday.) Well, it turns out, the Tigers won with him at catcher only three days earlier. As recently as Thursday, the Tigers won with Inge catching, while allowing just two runs. However, you are on to something.

Using Baseball-Reference PI, I was able to learn that Brandon Inge started 10 games at catcher and the Tigers have a record of 3-7 when he is playing. So a winning percentage of .300 compared to the .439 winning percentage (18-23) when Pudge starts.

Here’s another test: the catcher’s ERA. Basically, how’d the pitchers do when he was behind the plate. Inge’s is 6.84. Pudge’s is 4.44.

Some other fun stuff: The Tigers are above .500 at 11-9 when Inge starts at third base. And they’re 6-5 if he starts in center field. Now a word of caution: It’s possible he played third or center against weaker teams or pitchers. Without a subscription I can’t look up who the opponents were or the particular outcomes.

The temptation is definitely there to say Inge should start at third base more often and catcher less, but with the sample size I’m not sure if you particularly want to read too much into things quite yet. But would I feel more comfortable with Inge starting at third and the Tigers calling up a backup catcher? Probably.

Big Al has several questions. I’ll handle them one by one.

1. I know the Tigers are somewhat in a bind, with some big long-term contracts limiting their maneuverability. But if you were in charge, are there any specific roster moves you’d make right now?

Now, as in TODAY, I’d put Gary Sheffield on the disabled list due to his oblique. He seemed to be making a comeback recently and had eight hits in the previous four games. So I think any recent calls for him to go on the DL would ring hollow. (Calls earlier, in the month I certainly backed, because both his shoulders hurt.) But there’s enough dings adding up that two weeks off would probably be a good thing right now.

I’d also call up a backup catcher and send Ryan Raburn to Toledo. I don’t like Inge as the backup catcher, and Leyland is not using Raburn often enough to justify his being in Detroit. In a pinch, there are Tigers who can play other infield positions for a game and Raburn can be called back up. Otherwise, he just seems to be using up the roster spot and duplicating the efforts of other players. I’d rather see him get daily play in Toledo.

Fact of the matter is, this roster is not flexible. There’s really very little that can be done. They just have to do the jobs they’re over paid to do.

2. What about at the trade deadline?

I believe the Tigers we see on the field now are the Tigers we’re likely going to see for the rest of the season. So I suspect Detroit will be a seller at the trade deadline, not a buyer. (I’d be thrilled to be wrong.) So the move that needs to get done is sending Edgar Renteria to a team that needs a short stop, and bringing in return a major-league ready pitcher or catcher, or a higher ceiling, lower level prospect at the same positions.

I don’ know in particular what you’re going to get back for him. He’s not a superstar caliber player, so you’re not going to get the best prospect from an organization. But his contract is for this year with an option for next year, so I think that’s definitely the kind of contract a general manager hoping to make the playoffs is going to want. In addition, Renteria has the fifth-best OPS in the American League. It’s only .700, but the No. 1 is only .747. Renteria has the third-highest OPS in the A.L. with runners in scoring position (for shortstops with at least 25 plate appearances). Someone’s going to pay enough to make the deal palatable. Ultimately, trading for Renteria will be seen as a bad deal, but we didn’t know at the time the team would fall apart.

I don’t see any other moves the Tigers can make. Trading Carlos Guillen isn’t going to happen. Everyone else is either under performing too much with too much remaining contract, or they’re players the organization might want a little extra for (Jeremy Bonderman) or shouldn’t trade ever (Curtis Granderson). Notice I didn’t say that Bonderman shouldn’t be traded. The right ready-for-the-majors in 2009 pitcher might entice me but is anyone actually going to give that up? It’s a crap shoot for both GMs so I doubt it.

3. Would you make any changes in the coaching staff, and if so, when?

4. Would those changes include Leyland getting the ziggy?

I know I called for Leyland’s dismissal earlier this month. That came at a time Leyland acted like he was lost and clueless, and I think a manager in that position needs to be fired. I disagree with a lot of his strategic moves –many I find counter productive or just plain nuts– but I only buy dismissing a manager who is at the end of his rope. Leyland appeared to be in that place, but burst forth with renewed energy.

As far as coaches go, I don’t buy that, especially from an outsider’s view. You’re talking about hitters with resumes a mile long. If they’re slumping — especially the guys who were on the Tigers in 2006 and 2007 — I don’t buy that it’s Lloyd McClendon’s fault. They’re professionals at the top of their game. It’s not like it’s rookies he’s dealing with. If he’s not giving advice or not prepping hitters for the pitcher, that’s one thing. But I doubt that’s the case. I pin this one on the hitters.

If the pitchers started out slow, I think either they were not preparing themselves properly for the season, or the manager and pitching coach weren’t. Firing Chuck Hernandez now makes little sense. Reviewing his body of work after the season and seeing if anything he did contributed good or bad to the season makes more sense than any midseason changes.

So I see no reason to fire anyone at this time.

Kyle J: How concerned should we be that this season’s results to date will reduce Ilitch’s willingness to spend money on the Tigers in the future? As much as the $130 million payroll seems like a waste at this point, taking some risks on free agents is still a prerequisite to becoming a perennial contender (see: Red Sox, Boston).

I believe Ilitch will not be gun shy after this move. After all, he’s no rookie when it comes to professional sports ownership. Not every move the Red Wings made worked out either, but they just kept plugging away. You take the good and the bad. I think he’ll do the same with the Tigers. Just chalk it up as bad luck and move on.

I think if the Tigers fans continue supporting the team in a way that makes it financially feasible, Ilitch will not return to the dark ages. (Well, at this point, through 2010 or 2011, the Tigers are so locked into contracts he doesn’t really have a choice.) Although I do think the Tigers would probably be better off in the $100-110M payroll range rather than $140. That would force them to continue mixing youth in and probably help the team have a few more dollars to spend in other areas of the franchise.

But I think Ilitch knows what it takes to win and he’s going to continue to try to be the owner who brings a World Series trophy to the city.

Thanks for the questions, guys. Keep them coming!

Just a few things I’ve pondered lately.

Should Gary Sheffield go on the disabled list?

YES! All-caps because it’s so emphatic. I do not see what good is served by having an injured Gary Sheffield using on a spot on the 25-man roster. Sheffield first said he would miss the homestand against Cleveland and New York. So that’s seven games. Now he says he will not travel with the team to Kansas City and Oakland (6 games) because his shoulder is too sore to even do light exercisers. So, there’s 13 days he is unavailable out of the 15 day stay on the DL. Why, then, is he keeping a minor league bat (or arm) from helping out in the week leading up to the expansion to a 40-man roster? This makes no sense, whatsoever.

Update: They listened! 

Who will pitch Friday?

We know Kenny Rogers will not fill in for Jair Jurrjens (who was uhm, filling in for Kenny Rogers). It could be Chad Durbin, of course. But this bouncing him back and forth beween starter and bullpen, I don’t know, I don’t favor it. I believe Virgil Vasquez will be named the starter. He was on the same pitching schedule as Jurrjens, as he pitched Sunday. He allowed two runs in five innings in a spot start in July. He’s on the 40 man roster. It all pretty much adds up.

What’s up with all these injuries?

The popular theory is Detroit’s postseason appearance, and subsequently playing until nearly November, wore down the pitchers and kept them from having enough offseason recovery time. There could be something to that. I wouldn’t doubt it at all. Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander have both stumbled recently. Nate Robertson went on the disabled list for a tired arm. Kenny Rogers was hurt even unrelated to his blood clot surgery. And the bullpen stinks.

But I don’t know, some of it is probably bad luck. Rogers had surgery for a blood clot. Zumaya hurt his finger. Rodney hurt his neck. And then we a guy like Jair Jurrjens who was down in Erie in 2006. Those injuries aren’t related to playing in the snowflakes.

It’s probably some combination of everything. I expect the team will be healthier next year, but there’s never any guarantees.

What do you think of the bullpen?

I like it. Dave Dombrowski was right to think the Tigers bullpen would be much improved when he got Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney back. I still worry, wonder, etc, if not making a move at the trading deadline cost the Tigers 2 or 3 valuable wins over the first three weeks of August. This AL Central race is probably going to be decided by the narrowest of margins. You just hope, if the Tigers should miss the playoffs, it’s not by one win.

But going forward, yes, I like the bullpen. Players are pitching in roles that better suit them now that the setup men are back. It’s not great, but I’m fine with the situation.

Is this a playoff team?

Bennie and Jeff asked me that twice(!) for their radio show last night. My first reply was, I’d love to know myself. Anyone who follows the Tigers routinely would be hard pressed to say for sure. There are just so many injuries. It’s hard to overcome that. The prolonged slump has been awful.

And yet, the team can still go head to head with the Yankees and get two beautiful bullpen performances for two victories. The batters can still put up nine runs without Gary Sheffield. And the schedule comes down from the stratosphere and gives the Tigers a bit of a break. Yes, the teams they face aren’t going to roll over, but they just don’t have the weapons the Yankees and Indians do.

But they pressed me a second time. Simple yes or no. My answer? “No.” There’s so much to overcome, it’s going to be a tough challenge. It’s not that they can’t do it. But let’s say, i’m 45/55 on the Tigers making the playoffs. They survived the weekend. They can win a series today and take some momentum to Kansas City and Oakland.

In a week, it may be a whole, new ballgame.

It was cold. They were cold. That pretty much sums up the first month of baseball for the Detroit Tigers. And yet nearly a sixth of the way through the season, the Tigers are sitting at 14-11 in a tie for second place without the batters hitting particularly well or the bullpen pitching all that well. And then the starters stumbled, too. It was a roller coaster of emotions that saw the Tigers play in 12 one-run games and seven extra-innings games.

Looking at the record won’t tell us much. Over the course of a month, a bounce here, a bounce there, and the team could be in first or fourth. So here’s my breakdown of things.

Hitting

The Tigers finished the month with 127 runs, putting them firmly in third in the American League. If you’re looking back from the future, you’re saying “That sounds like a pretty good month at the dish to me. What’s the big deal?”

The big deal is Sean Casey, Brandon Inge, Craig Monroe all finished with averages .200 or less. Excluding Casey, Sheffield’s slugging was among the lowest on the team. So to score all those runs with that going on was really something. On top of it, the scoring wasn’t real consistent. For a period of time, the Tigers could barely score four runs in a game. After the weather heated up, the team has been putting up seven, eight, nine spots.

Obviously, something must be going very right elsewhere in the lineup, and it is. Placido Polanco is third in the A.L. in batting average (.356) and his on-base-percentage on the Tigers is only third. Carlos Guillen is quietly having another good season. It’s easy to see why he’s overlooked by the national media when you realize his OPS is .863 and you didn’t even notice him doing it. And then we have Magglio Ordonez having his best month as a Tiger, getting on base nearly 9 times per 20 plate appearances while slugging .600.

If you’re looking for any flukes in the Tigers success, you probably won’t find it in these three guys. Maggs looks healthy and like the feared slugger he was expected to be, though I would point out it’s pretty hard to keep up those high of numbers, so he’ll fade some. Placido has faded a wee bit already but is a real contact guy who should keep a high average. And Guillen is really doing nothing he hasn’t done for years.

Surprises? Curtis Granderson hit the weight room more than he let on. His slugging of .525 looks real. He’s driving the ball real well, has 10 doubles, two triples, four homers.

As a team, on base percentage is up. It’s not top-of-the-league, but the slugging makes up for that. They’re taking a lot more walks than last season. And at times, they have looked very patient at the plate and worked a lot of pitches out of opposing starters. After a month, I have to say, I expect some good things on this end. I think they’ll score more than most people expected.

Pitching

The month started out ominously when the Tigers rallied against Toronto in the first game, but the bullpen couldn’t contain the Blue Jays and Detroit lost in extra innings. After a full season of coming to expect “If it gets to the bullpens, we win,” that was a bit unexpected. But Toronto could hit. Unfortunately, that did portend the future. So far, the Tigers bullpen just isn’t as good as last season. The starters have been as good as advertised, collecting just three losses among the five.

Jeremy Bonderman still looks the ace, Justin Verlander is continuing where he left off last year — more or less — Nate Robertson remains one of the league’s top lefties, Mike Maroth is pitching a bit more mediocre, but not unexpected for a fourth/fifth starter. And then there’s the Chad Durbin saga. Durbin was awful to start, but settled in his last two starts and looked fine against Chicago through eight innings. Whether he’ll still have his job at the end of May remains to be seen, but he’s shown some promise in turning things around. The Tigers started have made it six innings while allowing three or less runs 15 of 25 times this season. Verlander has done it four of five times. Robertson, too, and he fell an out short the fifth. Bonderman has done it four of six times. Even Maroth has two quality starts. Starters have gone 151 innings and have a 3.87 ERA.

The bullpen? Oy the bullpen. Eight of 11 Tigers losses come from it. Four are Fernando Rodney’s. Todd Jones has two blown saves, and so does Joel Zumaya as a setup man. Those are the three guys who make this bullpen work, so that has to be ironed out for Detroit to find continued success. Bobby Seay is pitching fine as a lefty specialist. Wil Ledezma and Jason Grilli have to iron some things out. Aqualino Lopez was just a stop-gap while Jose Mesa, who stunk, healed his groin on the disabled list.

My gut feeling is the bullpen won’t be as good as 2006, but it won’t be as bad as April. I think the starting pitching will continue to give Detroit a chance to win in nearly every game.

Q&A

Pitcher of the month? As much as I’d like to say Bonderman — especially after his amazing showdown with Doc Halladay — I have to take Robertson. His 2.43 ERA, low WHIP and nearly perfect 5-for-5 on quality starts gives him the edge in a three-pitcher showdown.

Batter of the month? Magglio. Gotta be. He’s kicking the ball’s butt right now. Polly is a close second. He’s not only making contact, he’s setting up Maggs for the RBIs and getting on base in “clutch” situations.

Best surprise? I’d have to say it’s Magglio Ordonez regaining form. That has been key so far. Also, Detroit continuing to play well from behind and win in the ninth. That could have been a one-year fluke but doesn’t appear to be.

Worst surprise? The bullpen’s stumbles were totally unexpected, not fun to watch at all and truly disappointing. Sheffield’s slow start wasn’t too good either, but he found ways to get on base, fortunately.

Worst move? Starting Sean Casey. I guess that dates back to signing Sean Casey. The Mayor is a great guy, a popular figure, and he plays decent defense, but he’s not getting the job done at the dish and he likely won’t. First base isn’t a defense position, it’s a hitting position, and he’s not doing it. Runner up: Putting Zumaya into games he doesn’t need to be in, both of which he imploded and which started the ball rolling on his problems.

Best move? Teaching Thames first base, I guess. That’s not really an April thing, of course, but it was nice to see him get a couple good chances there. I’d like to see a lot more of him. I’m not really finding a lot else that qualifies.

What’s on the horizon? May sees the Tigers play a mixed schedule. The first 10 days are against weaker opponents, Baltimore, K.C. and Seattle. It heats up May 11 with a trip to the HHH Dome in Minnesota, then they’ll have a possible October preview during a four-game series at Boston. I always love games at Fenway for the thunk of lines off the Green Monster. Mid month sees a World Series rematch with St. Louis and another possible October preview when the Angels visit Comerica. The Tigers finally see Cleveland at last, late in the month. . They’ll face a tougher Tampa offense, but should beat up the defense.

Final thoughts? April didn’t start out as we might have hoped, but nothing too bad happened in the season’s first month. The Tigers are in the thick of a tough division while not looking all that great. If they turn it around, and I think they will, they’ll add a couple more games over .500 as the season progresses.

*stats gathered at ESPN.com

Usually I save my questions and answers for the end of a month or something monumental. Not that this is monumental, but I found some interestig stuff to present.

What’s up with Sean Casey?

Sean Casey is bad at the plate right now. He was pretty bad during the regular season last season. No one can deny that. His strikeout rate is up. His batting average is atrocious. His on-base percentage looks more like a bad batting average. His slugging… wait, Casey doesn’t slug it, does he?

I went to Fangraphs.com to see what was up. There’s a couple things statistically going on that stand out. He’s got more flyballs than ground balls. I’m sure during windows of his career, that’s true, but over the course of his playing days he’s more of a groundball/line drive batter than a flyball batter. Right now he’s putting it in the air 45% of the time compared to a steady career average of 30%. (Create a hitchart). An amazing 25% are infield fly balls. He doesn’t seem to have the strength to turn these flyballs into home runs, so he’s making some outs. His batting average in balls in play, then, is a paltry .208. That’s probably helped by the easy fly balls he’s hitting I’d guess, more than stellar defensive plays robbing him. The pitchers per plat appearance, walks and strikeouts are otherwise normal.

I’d guess those stats are more symptoms than causation. Rather than say he’s had some bad luck, I’m just going to guess this is a mechanics issue without being able to compare his swing this year and last. I could be wrong.

The Tigers finished August 13-16. Considering how awful it felt to all of us, it’s worth noting they lost just 3 games under .500 since July 31. When the league tallies up the wins and losses on the evening of Oct. 1 to see who makes the playoffs, those 13 wins and those 16 losses are the only two numbers that receive consideration. And the teams with most Ws keep playing. That’s all there is to it.

You want to talk about how bad the Tigers played in August. Go right ahead. They didn’t play up to their own expectations or our expecatations. And if they continue playing like that… they possibly miss the playoffs. But if they get things going again, then August doesn’t matter that much. Ask the 2005 White Sox. It’s that simple. If the Tigers have a winning September, they keep playing. That’s what a 5 game lead over the Wildcard gets you.

Just how awful was August?

Depends which side of the ball you want to look at. Here’s the positive: There’s not too much you can criticize the Tigers for when it came to the pitching staff. The Tigers had an August ERA of 3.75, good for third in the AL behind Minnesota (3.65) and Oakland (3.25). The Twins and Tigers allowed the same number of runs, but Detroit played one extra game. Fears of a post-All Star swoon were overblown.

The batting is another situation. With the injury of Placido Polanco, not a great hitter but an important part of the lineup, Detroit was going to have some problems. Playing Neifi Perez was not the solution, I think Leyland’s quote today even hint he knows that. But as Leyland said, Neifi isn’t the reason for the struggling offense (more later).

So a 13-16 August record in what everyone said would be the toughest month on the Tigers’ schedule. We’d have wanted what, 15-14? Maybe 16-13? It’s possible a better lineup here or there, a better pitching decision here or there, and the Tigers have that. I’m disappointed, but it’s no doom-and-gloom scenerio. Every team has a problem here or there. It’s how they deal with the problem stretch that counts.
How bad do they need that batting back?

Detroit never had all that great an offense anyway. But it always had “good enough” an offense. Great pitching + great defense + average but timely hitting = World Series. In the past months, if the Tigers needed 4 runs, they got 4 runs. I know I took it for granted they’d get the hit they needed to win. In August, they couldn’t manufacture. They couldn’t overpower. They couldn’t take a walk to save their lives (until the middle game against the Yankees where two walks set up the game-winning home run). And you can’t point at the quality of other team’s staffs as being the problem. They saw some great pitching, but they made some no-name pitching look equally great. The problem was Detroit’s own making.

How good was the pitching?

Detroit lost eight games when they allowed four runs or fewer. In the final two weeks of August, Nate Robertson absorbed two losses when he had a quality start, and Zach Miner added another.

And just to emphasize the point, the Tigers played these series in August (runs scored ranking in parentheses): TB (14), Cleveland (3), Minnesota (8), White Sox (1), Boston (4), Texas (5), White Sox (1), Cleveland (3), Yankees (2). Look at that pitcher-destroying stretch. Look at that 3.75 ERA. Spot any trouble? Me either.

Can they put it back together?

As long as the Tigers keep pitching well, and I don’t see why they wouldn’t, they should have a winning record in September-Oct. 1 and clinch the playoffs. The quality of opponent drops off somewhat. Six times they face the KC Royals, who they surely must have a psychological advantage over at this point. They do have trouble spots in going into both Minnesota and Chicago. Minnesota does not scare me as much as it used to. Chicago, well, yeah. I don’t like when they play in Chicago.

And I think we’ve seen signs of batters putting things back together. Magglio Ordonez is starting to look better and hit the ball harder. He had a home run and a nice drive. Curtis Granderson has played better in the past week. And we’ll probably see less Neifi.

Who is the key?

You probably want to put a pitcher as key, but none of them really are. They’re key in that they don’t regress (much). But the real key to understanding the Tigers’ woes is Granderson. He continued to lead a strong defense, but his bat was awful in August. He scored just five runs, drove in just four, and hit .156 avg / .224 OBP / .256 SLG. Keep in mind, this is the guy who led the Tigers offense in winshares at one point (he’s now third). And non-statistically, think about games the Tigers won and I think you’ll bring images of Granderson doing something at the plate to mind. In the past week, Granderson scored four runs and had a home run. (Yes, that means in the first 3 weeks, he scored just 1 run.) If you want to see something amazing, go look at his game log and notice how many Ws pop up when he scores and Ls pop up when he doesn’t.

The secondary key is Magglio Ordonez hitting. Maybe not hitting like a fearsome cleanup batter. But hitting well enough to be on display in October while all of them watch from home.

In or out?

Tigers hold off both teams to win the division, but it is more down to the wire than we’d prefer.

We got our meaningful September games, finally.

July started with a 7-run loss. It ended with a 4-run loss. And in between, Detroit won 15 games, lost 10, and made believers of even the strongest of holdouts by taking 2-of-3 from the Chicago White Sox, then later traveling into the HHHorrordome to take 2-of-3 from Minnesota with All-Star catcher Pudge Rodriguez resting an injured thumb all three games. The only series the Tigers dropped was the first full series of the month came at Oakland.

Things weren’t perfect. You can fire off your list problems pretty easily. Detroit’s July ERA was 4.53, good for sixth of 14 in the American League and more than a full run above June. The Tigers were outscored by even the Kansas City Royals for the month and finished 10th.

But it’s easy to look at those numbers and get tunnel vision when just two (or three) numbers really count in the end. Detroit led the division by 1 1/2 games on July 1. They led the division by 7 1/2 games on August 1. So for all the hand-wringing, the fear “the wheels are wobbling” and all the other, in the end the problems exposed in Detroit were at least six games better than the chief division rival. The lead over the would-be wildcard shrank from 8 1/2 to 8. If that constitutes a slide, we’ll take it. But there’s a lot of baseball left to be played.

So here’s your LONG Q&A session, touching on Casey, Shelton, key moments in July and what to expect in August.

First question: What did you think of the trade for Sean Casey?

It was a good trade. It was not an impact trade, but that doesn’t make it a waste. Sean Casey is not going to come to the team the way Alfonso Soriano or Bobby Abreu would have, to state the extremely obvious. But he fills what was most definitely a hole in the lineup by collecting a bunch of bad at-bats taken by Chris Shelton and turning them into better ones.

He strikes me as having Placido Polanco qualities, in that he’s a contact guy who can move baserunners. He knows what he’s capable of, and has the set of tools a better needs to be successful. We know how valuable Polanco is in the top of the lineup. I think having a second Polanco in the body of Casey in the lower half of the lineup is going to work out nicely. He’s not going to have a lot of empty at-bats. Pretty much, the anti-Shelton.

The price came cheap, pretty much a low-ceiling minor leaguer whose “prospect” status is debatable, if at all. Combine that with the fact Casey — “The Mayor” — iis popular in the clubhouse, and it looks like a nice, low-key trade that gives Jim Leyland some flexibility. It’s not a home-run trade, but it didn’t need to be for a team with 70 wins. Plus we got to keep Humberto Sanchez and Cameron Maybin.

So it seems like just another typical Dave Dombrowski trade. Small steps that become inseparable parts of the team. Not an impact, but a step forward none-the-less, magnified by the fact most of the chief rivals did little to nothing.

Where will he bat?

Pure congecture, but that’s why it’s fun. I’m guessing seventh or eighth based on what I know about Leyland and where I think makes the most sense. The typical Leyland lineup only has a certain number of spots he could fall.

1 — Curtis Granderson, L (he’s gonna lead off as long as he starts that day)
2 — Placido Polanco, R (you don’t stack your new lefty with an old one, so he can’t be second)
3 — Pudge Rodiguez, R (this probably wouldn’t be a bad place to put him, but I don’t expect Pudge would like it or Leyland would do it)
4 — Magglio Ordonez, R (best guy for the job, we can all agree)
5 — Carlos Guillen, Switch (there’s your lefty bat when needed, and he fits wel there)
6 — Dmitri Young, L (Leyland seems to like him sixth and he can produce evidently. He’ll DH)
7 — Marcus Thames/Craig Monroe, R (they platoon some)
8 — Casey, L (coupled with #7, makes sure the pitcher is still getting different looks at the bottom of the lineup, an can’t take a rest)
9 — Brandon Inge, R

I think depending on the matchup, DY, Thames and Mornoe all share the two lineup positions. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have Casey seventh with the power batting behind him, either. So that wouldn’t surprise me. Like I said, there’s a lot of flexibility built into Casey, and thanks to the power all over the lineup, it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t hit homers — not like Shelton did lately — because he can get on base decently for those who do.

What about Shelton, who was probably as surprised as the fans were when he was sent to Toledo?

I hope Shelton gets his swing fixed soon though, he is the future first baseman of the Detroit Tigers and has a pretty high ceiling if he gets it all together. He has the potential to be an impact first baseman during his career, I think. He seems to have a good eye but the inability to follow with the needed action. He needs some restraint and better mechanics. He’ll be back in September when the roster expands, if not before then. I think he has the right attitude that this will be beneficial.

Your key moments in July?

I have three. The first was Kenny Rogers starting for the American League, pitching to Pudge Rodriguez. That may not be key to the team’s winning, but I think, as Tigers fans, it was an amazing sight to us and an image of the rebirth of Detroit baseball to have both ends of the starting All-Star battery.

The second was Craig Monroe’s grand slam in the second game against Chicago. Detroit was dragging its butt again. The wind seemed to have left the sails after a 7-1 loss the night before. The whole season did not rest on the outcome of one series, but you couldn’t tell by the actions of the players. He launches that home run into the left field seats of Comerica Park, and it became real. We knew before it was a great season, but at that point, there was no doubt that this is a summer Detroit baseball fans will never forget. And the team responded in kind. Part 2B was the next day with Joel Zumaya’s striking ouf of the Sox, Marcus Thames taking out Chicago’s second baseman, and Chris Shelton launching the eventual game-winning RBI. Detroit took 2-of-3, the first series win against Chicago in who-knows-how-long. Taken together, those games marked the changing of the guard.

The third was Zach Miner stepping up after two bad starts and going inning-for-inning with the amazing Francisco Liriano, and Detroit eventually taking the game in 10 innings. While this didn’t have the same “feel” of the Chicago series, it cemented the gains by proving to the Tigers — if they needed it — and ourselves that Detroit can walk into the playoff atmosphere of the HHHorrordome, face down possibly the league’s best pitcher with Detroit’s #5 starter (in ability) and out duel the red-hot Twins in an important game.

Taken individually, those are all pretty big. Taken together, those are the confidence boosters that only make the Tigers stronger every day, a good team transforming before your eyes into a great team that will not be shellshocked in important games down the stretch or in October.

Yes, moving forward, the August schedule looks brutal.

Well, it’s not pretty. And if the Tigers come out of a certain stretch with a decent lead for the Central and the wildcard, you can probably start thinking about your playoff tickets. But not until then.

To (mis)quote Tom Hanks: Guarantees? Guarantees? There’s no guarantees in baseball!!

The stretch I refer to is really a make-or-break stretch though. Host the Twins three games. Visit the White Sox for three. Visit Boston for three. Host Texas (a bit of a respite) for four. And host the White Sox for four. After a break against an Indians team that sold off several of its working parts, there’s a three-game trip to New York City and a cross-country flight to Anaheim for three more. After that, if Detroit has a comfortable lead, you can crown your Central champions because they’ll have handled their own destiny. I just hope to play about .500 ball during that point. It’s really all Detroit has to do for the rest of the season. If they come out of the stretch better than .500, even the waggiest of tongues will be talking about the Tigers as being World Series favorites, it’s that kind of brutal schedule.

Skipping ahead, are they a playoff team?

I think some people are seeing a bit too rosy a picture considering the upcoming schedule. But if the Tigers play the way they have all season, I count the likely wins and losses for the rest of the season and come up with a conservative estimate of 100 wins. A max in the 105-106 range. So yes, I see this as being a playoff team unless they send us a different notice. That should win the division.

The wildcard winner — sorry Boston — will come from the Central, in all likelyhood Chicago. The Twins are a great team, but only pulled even with Chicago during its slump. That is stll a good team, it’ll catch on again. I don’t count Minnesota out, but with Brad Radke appearing to be an injury question mark, I’m not sure if having the best two pitchers in the American League is going to be good enough. And yes, that means I’m taking the Yankees to win the East. I still pick Oakland to win the West.

Summed up 

July could have ended better than eight errors in two games, but the month was a transformational month for the Tigers and just another part of a story we’ll be enjoy remembering.

I don’t have a crystal ball. All I have is lies, damned lies and statistics. Oh, and a little intuition.

Most important question first: Do the Tigers make the playoffs?

Yes.

Do they win the division?

No.

Is September a nail biter?

No.

It’s going to take more than a one-word answer. Explain.

I looked over the schedule. I added likely wins along the way. Keep in mind this doesn’t include pitching matchups, of course. And if the Tigers make a big-name trade, they could add a few more wins to the mix. I am assuming a low-key solution to the left-handed bat in my analysis. So my most likely scenerio was 98 wins. That’s something like 39-35 for the rest of the season. It almost feels like a stretch at this point to project just-over-.500 for this Tigers team, but the schedule does have a couple of tough spots along the way, and the pitching is bound to cool off in the second half, given the ages of the arms and experience levels. The pitchers aren’t playing over their heads. But it’s a long year for a 41-year-old, a pair of 23-year-olds and a 24-year-old in the rotation.

On the other hand, the NY Yankees still have to face the White Sox six times. Boston faces them three more times. And the Yanks, BoSox and BlueJays are going to beat each other up. So I just don’t see any team in the East being able to overcome an 8+game deficit for the wild card. It’s always a luxury when you don’t have to play 30-games-over .500 in the second half because you did it in the first. As far as the division goes, I would not feel very confident picking against the White Sox. I’m not saying the Tigers can’t win it. They certainly can if the pitching remains consistent and a decent trade is made. But, a tautology here, the White Sox are the White Sox. They’ve got great fight in them, the right balance in the rotation and a good lineup. They have no holes.

You picked Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen and Kenny Rogers as the most important players in the first half. Who’ll be the most important three to watch in the second half?

I think the progress of Jeremy Bonderman is going to be interesting to watch. Just once (2004) has Bonderman been better after the All-Star break. But how much does that mean? Could mean plenty. Could also indicate how the team fell apart in the second half last year and has oftentimes given up pieces of the puzzle. For instance, over the past three years, Bonderman’s SO/9 and H/9 have barely changed from the first to second half. His BB/9 has barely gone up as well. Only his HR/9 has gone up by more than 10%. To me, that’s an indication it’s not really Bonderman who’s been worse in the second half. With his new pitch working, Bonderman’s ability to pitch like the ace that he can be will be an important factor, especially if Rogers has his yearly second-half dropoff.

And actually, Rogers K/9 and BB/9 improve in the second half as well. Its his hits — especially home runs — that have killed him in the past three years. Will that improve in Comerica Park? I have to think so. So possibly the second-half drop won’t be as steep as in the past.

On the whole, the pitching staff has gotten slightly worse as the season goes on. From a 3.22 ERA in April to 3.85 in May to 3.32 in June to 3.36 so far in July. Each month except May, they’ve been in the top 3 in baseball. So I think that’s a “slide” we can live with.

As far as batting goes, my most important player is to be named later. I say that because I see no real problems with the guys who are producing now. It might be interesting to see how Granderson’s body holds up over his first 162 game schedule, though I would imagine his dropoff won’t be too hard. Another interesting storyline will be the inconsistent Mr. Shelton. It’s not so much a body thing as it is putting it all together in the second half after an up-and-down first half. Detroit must have better production from the power corner than he’s been giving.

Obviously, keeping everyone healthy will be important, but not many playoff contenders can claim otherwise. So I think the most important contribution will be added by whoever comes over in a trade. Detroit needs a left fielder who can bat consistently well against both southpaws and righties, as well as play the field with some aptitude. He doesn’t have to be gold glover. But I dont’ want to cringe when he goes for a ball.

Any bets on who that trade will be?

No clue. I’d love to see Bobby Abreu. Alfonso Soriano is a rent-a-player, but might come cheaper than Abreu because of it. And at least Washington believes it’s out of the running, unlike a certain delusional NL East team. Both those guys are unlikely to occur.

I still think it’ll be a mid-level guy who no one really thinks of until it occurs. Dombrowski has been known to keep his cards close and oftentime surprises with his trades, much moreso than he surprises with free agent signings. (Though, who really saw Rogers coming?!)

Will the Tigers open the World Series at home?

No. I don’t think so. Unless one of the blockbuster names from above occurs, I think it’s going to be a great run that falls short in the playoffs against a more experienced team that isn’t running on its last fumes. But it’s going to be one whale of a ride until then.

And finally, Dmitri Young.

No. Please.

No.

Detroit won 20 games in June. 20 games. Do you remember the beginning of June when the Tigers were losing closer games to the Red Sox and White Sox and some people were set to jump off a bridge, national media were cranking their “I told you so” records and generally the sky was falling? At that point in time, they were 3-5 in June. They lost seven altogether. Didn’t fall, did it? The Tigers looked good to me then, and the Tigers looked good now. (This weekend not withstanding).

Who deserves player of the month honors?

Curtis Granderson. I’d bet he’s polling about 100% among Tigers fans right now, so that’s no surprise. His June split: .303 avg / .348 OBP / .495 slugging (for a .879 OPS). He scored 25 runs, drove in 15 and walked 15 times. And oh yeah, his fielding needs no statistical introduction. The kid was just all-around amazing.

Who’s your runner up?

Marcus Thames. AAAA player no more, Thames lit up opposing pitchers in June. He led the team in home runs with 8, had a trinity of .309 / .346 / .639. He had 25 strikeouts in 97 at-bats, though. Still has to work on that K thing. (Not that Granderson doesn’t have the same problem, but Thames doesn’t have Granderson’s glove, my deciding factor).

How were the team batting totals?

They had a trinity of .274/.329/.455 for a .783 OPS. That’s not bad. Middle of the pack. They dinged 35 homers, but struck out three times as often as they walked (223 SO, 76 BB). They improved their team numbers over May pretty much everywhere but the strikeout-to-walk ratio got worse. Oh, and in June, only the Chicago White Sox scored more runs in the American League (173-157). The bad: Detroit’s OBP was among the worst in the AL. Among batters, Granderson, Thames and Magglio all had worse Junes than Mays, although in every case, it’s nothing to be concerned over.

And the pitching?

As a team, a 3.32 ERA in June. An improvement over May by about half a run, which should impress you when you remember they saw New York, Toronto and St. Louis. (To be fair, they also saw the Cubbies and Astros). Jeremy Bonderman (1.77 June ERA) and Nate Robertson (2.53 ERA) were both lights out, allowing 17 runs in 10 starts between them. Bonderman mowed down 44 batters in 35-2/3 innings. Oh, and of the seven losses, only two in June were suffered by starters. Both by rookies. And one of those rookies was in his first MLB game. That’s pretty impressive. Kenny Rogers and Justin Verlander both hit the 10-win mark for the season, and Zach Miner won four, making Verlander and Miner one of the more successful rookie starting pitching duos in the past 25 years when looking at their early games.

UPDATE: Here’s a few more numbers. In June, Detroit was fifth in K/BB ratio in the MLB, third in the AL (2.57 K per BB) and seventh in the MLB in K/9 (7.11), two good indicators of successful pitching.

Okay, so how do the Tigers compare to Minnesota’s pitching?

The Twins had a fabulous month, allowing just 80 runs. Detroit allowed 96. The rest of the AL allowed 100 or more. But the Tigers did tie the Twins for the best batting average against with .234, while it trailed them in both OBP (.296) and slugging against (.384). Those are some mighty fine numbers, and a good reminder of why all five starters are important, no matter how good Francisco Liriano and Johan Santana are.

How about improvements in the standings?

Entering June, Detroit had the best record in baseball at 35-18 (.660). They led the White Sox by 1-1/2 games in the division, while second-place in the wildcard battle was a tie between Boston and New York, 3 games behind the Tigers.

Exiting June, Detroit led the White Sox by 2-1/2 games, and the wildcard runner-up Yankees by 8-1/2 games. So I have to say, while the White Sox are impossible to shake, as I (and everyone) thought, the duel in the AL Central is leaving the wilcard in its wake.

How’s July look?

Trips to Oakland are always tough, while Seattle is playing better than the last time the Tigers visited Safeco Field. Still I think Detroit can probably take two wins apiece, looking at the pitching probables, although the Mariners have pitched well lately. I wouldn’t rule a Tigers sweep in either series out, but I sure wouldn’t expect it to happen. After the All-Star break, there’s four against Kansas City, three against the White Sox in Comerica (Tigers need to take 2), Oakland comes to town, then there are games at the Twins (could be dangerous) and Indians (probably won’t be). You want a guess for July record? My range is 15 to 17 wins. That makes 15-10 to 17-8, either way the Tigers add more games over .500 and there should be no worries about either the continually tight division race or the not-so-tight wildcard race.

And what about the July 31 trade deadline?

It’s hard to find many holes you want to find a trade to fill. I don’t feel like it’s necessary the Tigers have to trade for anyone. So my gut tells me, Dave Dombrowski isn’t going to reach. They’re not going to overpay in prospects for anybody. And there probably aren’t going to be any bargains in the trade market. So I don’t expect any big name player to be headed Detroit’s way.

Craig Monroe or Alexis Gomez are the players most likely to be replaced, but what Dombrowski needs as much as a left-handed bat is a solid left fielder. A left-handed left fielder is ideal. Thames plays great at the plate whether or not there’s a righty or lefty on the mound. (He’s best against righties). So to me, he’s almost like that missing left-handed bat from earlier. But he lacks the glove and that’s why Leyland always replaces him late in games. For now, he’s servicable and allows the DH to move around when a guy needs a break from the field for a day, but late in the season, I’d rather see Thames DH daily and the Tigers find a decent LF with a glove. Gomez has a solid glove, but lacks the daily bat, so he isn’t that guy. It doesn’t have to be a big name, just a guy who gets the job done better overall. That is the only hole on the team.

As far as trading for pitching, there’s not really any need. If say, John Smotz was affordable, that would be one thing, but he’s not. And we’d like a guy who can close better than Jones as fans, but in reality, we have one or two of them and just need to plug someone else in short relief to shuffle things around if Dombrowski and Leyland felt the same way. Especially with Maroth back — should he return to form — I think that puts the starting pitching and bullpen in a good place without any moves.

And Dmitri Young?

I just don’t see a place for him that makes sense. First base is fine. And DH belongs to Thames. And DY is not the answer in left field. What may happen is Young replacing Gomez, getting some DH time with his LH bat, and Monroe becoming the part-time starter, part-time defensive substitute for Thames. I don’t see that as ideal by any means, but it sounds like a step up. I’d rather the Tigers find a better option via trade. Possibly DY can be traded with most of his remaining salary being picked up by the Tigers if he does good in Toledo (not at all if he doesn’t), but I wouldn’t expect to get much or anything in return, so I put the likelyhood very low. I think it’s just a big ‘ol mess, really, but DY will have to regain his former form or Dombrowski and Leyland will not have him on the big ballclub.

In conclusion

June was a good month. July looks like it’ll be a good month. There don’t appear to be any red flags anywhere. But don’t get too excited over trade rumors, because I don’t see anything worth being excited over occuring. Save your excitement for these Tigers, who have become pretty good at providing it.

Extra info:

Lee Panas at Detroit Tiger Tales looked at how the Tigers are performing versus their statistical projections.

I’m still browsing all the free stuff I can read on Baseball Prospectus. I like numbers. Numbers like me. So with all the debate about the need for a good closer and whether or not Jones’ closing 18 of 21 successfully means anything were both questions answered by BP. (And by the way, did you know Fox Sports powerranker Dayn Baker writes for them?)

First off, do Jones’ 18 saves mean anything?

A pure closer is a reliever who only comes in to protect a one- to three-run lead, only in the ninth. The worst pitcher in baseball stands a great chance of pitching the ninth inning without giving up three runs. With no outs, a team with an average offense against an average pitcher can expect to score half a run. (BP)

Jones has three saves with a 1-run lead, seven with a 2-run lead, and a whopping eight with a 3-run lead. Two saves were blown with 1-run leads, and the game against Toronto, I just can’t credit to anyone specifically even if he earned the BS.

Does it really matter?

Woolner’s study also found that a perfect closer–one who never gives up a run pitching the ninth every time his team is ahead–only gives his team four more games in the standings. (BP)

So, a little bit, anyway. It’s possible that makes the difference between playoffs and watching from the golf clubhouse but maybe he doesn’t. Offensive players and starting pitchers both matter more than the closer.

Is Jim Leyland misusing his bullpen?

This reaches back to Ye Good Old Days, when teams didn’t have closers, they had ’stoppers’, the firemen who came in not just when the game was close, but when the starter was faltering. These brave souls would come in not with a lead and no one on, but with the game tied and two runners on–situations where being dominant and getting the outs has a clear and significant impact on the game’s final score.

Resources should always be deployed where they can do the most good, and modern closers as blood-lusting Gods of War, along with their Phobos/Deimos setup men (one lefty, one righty), are a bad use of resources. (BP)

My take: Although the statistics show deplaying your closer in the ninth inning still makes the most sense, having Joel Zumaya available to come out before then and shut down an opposing team’s comeback is a pretty valuable resource for Leyland. And I think we’ve seen Zumaya used just like that. Using him exclusively in the ninth inning would almost be a waste of resources.

In any case, Jones hasn’t been a very good pitcher most of the year but doesn’t pitch long enough for it to bite him in the butt. But there’s a lot of info in the article. You may draw a different conclusion and I welcome you sharing what you come up with in the comments!

Thoughts after running the gaunlet…

What’s the picture look like?

Glancing at Craig’s Stats (hat tip: Detroit Tigers Weblog), we see that the Tigers had the fourth best ERA in the American League for the past 20 games, despite playing with the big boys for 16 of them. They had some troubles scoring runs, but had one more during the White Sox during that stretch. I forgot who the Sox played, but six games against Cleveland should have helped them some. Detroit tied with Chicago, Boston and Toronto in wins and losses at 11-9, but it fell one behind New York. So, yeah, it wasn’t pretty, sometimes it was ugly, but I wouldn’t exactly say ground was lost. I think maybe we just got too used to winning and forgot everyone loses, too.

What do you make of the past 13 games? Does this show the Tigers were frauds?

Frauds? Not at all. They went 5-8. 2-5 at home vs the Yankees and Red Sox, 3-3 on the road against Chicago and Toronto. Those teams have the four best records in the American League (outside of Detroit’s).

They led Toronto in the 8th before allowing a strange 8 runs and losing. They led Chicago in the 8th before allowing three runs and losing. They led Boston in the 9th (with two outs) before losing. And the Yankees kicked their tuckous, but the Tigers were in extra innings in one of those games. So eight losses, but they had the lead late in three of them and had a tie in the other. A fifth game, the Tigers lost by one while never leading. So, they weren’t bad losses. It was still a decent stretch of baseball.

Looking at things in a vacuum, it might not look good. But we know the Tigers relievers aren’t that bad. We’ve seen them in clutch situations throughout the season. I don’t know if there’s a team this season that has faced a stretch of 13 games — in 16 if you want to include Cleveland’s offense — of such calibre without respite. We also know most of the top teams in the AL played about .500 ball during that stretch against easier competition.

I think some of what’s going on is that Detroit hasn’t found a lot of success in past years, so rather than judging this team on its own merits and realizing it looks a whole lot different than in past years, people keep trying to read too much into everything. Taking 2-of-4 against New York or 2-of-3 against Boston really wouldn’t have changed much would it? That’s two wins in the standings, but would the makeup of the team look all that much different? I don’t think so. You just can’t do that, especially not without perspective. Every blown save or lost series is not a sign this team is a fraud.

The Tigers aren’t perfect, but no team in baseball is. Remember that.

So now that the gauntlet stretch is over, how much easier do the games get?

For one, the next 10 games are against Tampa, Milwaukee and the Cubs. Tampa has no offense, despite having some nice players. They are near the bottom of the American League in runs. The have a nice pitcher in Scott Kazmir, who’ll start Monday, but I don’t see a lot else. Their ERA stinks. The Cubs don’t really score much but their pitching isn’t too bad. They’re still 10 games under .500. Milwaukee is beneath 500, scores almost as many as the Tigers but allowed more than 100 more. They do play in a high scoring division, I’ll them that much. But for the next 10 games, you have to feel like Detroit can win every game. They won’t. Probably not. But it should make for easier viewing.
If it doesn’t, then you worry.

And after that?

Almost every series between now and the end of July is against teams currently around or under 500. St. Louis and the White Sox, three games apiece, are the only exceptions. There are six games against Oakland, who seems to me to be heating up and could be pretty dangerous. And three against Houston, a truly perplexing team. But you get the point. There’s not a lot to worry about in the next 50 or so games, as long as the Tigers continue to play like they have.

Will they?

Pretty good chance I’d say. The defensive statistics are still all there, about .7283 defensive efficiency, right about where it’s been the entire season (even during the past seven days). Defense independent pitching has slipped some though, but look at who the pitchers have faced, so that makes pretty good sense to me.
Your most likely scenerio?

I think the White Sox and the Tigers are going to continue to duel throughout the summer and probably the team that doesn’t lead the division will lead the wild card at the trade deadline. Both teams will be buyers.

Throughout May and into June, some commentators said this year’s Tigers are like last year’s White Sox. How do the numbers look?

After 43 games last year, the White Sox were 42-21, scored 292 and allowed 239. At the same mark this year, the Tigers scored 313 and allowed 246. So, just glancing at the numbers, there might be something to that. I think the Tigers lineup is better than the White Sox lineup was. It remains to be seen if the Tigers pitching staff is as good, though my hunch is no. I still think Detroit’s staff is quite capable and possibly as good as any in the AL this year, but Chicago just had such an amazing season in 2005, it’s hard to compare.
Aren’t this year’s White Sox last year’s White Sox too?

Yeah, kinda. This year’s White Sox scored 325 and allowed 275, having played two fewer games. Their pitching probably isn’t going to be as good as it was last year. I thought there were a couple of career seasons in Chicago, though the pitchers improved across the board and will continue to pitch well. Just not as well as last season. And obviously, their offense — especially the meat of their lineup — is a whole lot better than last season. So I’d say they’re not really last year’s White Sox, per se. They’ve evolved.

They’re still among the top staffs and teams in baseball, and I don’t think there’s a single person who doesn’t expect that to continue. But I continue to bring up the topic, their strength of schedule is last in baseball. (Actually, Cleveland’s isn’t much better, and Detroit’s has moved to the middle of the pack). So their numbers will probably drop off a bit.

Okay. Some names. Todd Jones.

A nice guy, but a scary closer and one that is not befitting of a division contender. Could keep his job anyway. If he keeps saving a whole lot more than he blows, probably he will keep it. Tigers fans don’t have to like it. This one doesn’t. But that’s the way it is and Leyland seems to know what he’s doing a whole lot more than I would, I’d say.

Joel Zumaya.

I think he could be the closer but day’s like today proved why Detroit needs him in earlier innings. Jason Grilli could have let the Blue Jays back in the game easy, but Jim Leyland hands Zumaya the ball and he retires all but two batters over the nine outs. A Blue Jays team picking up momentum fast was stopped in its tracks. You need good relievers in the seventh inning as well as the ninth some days.

Fernando Rodney.

I have no idea. None. They say it’s a mechanics problem. Hopefully. Thankfully the next 10 games gives some cushion for him and Jones to stop their worlds from spinning.

Zach Miner.

It’s hard to comment because I didn’t see him pitch, but what I’ve read sounds pretty good. He’s going to be a dropoff over Mike Maroth I think, but how much dropoff? Maybe not as much as we feared.

And if the bullpen needs help?

Humberto Sanchez is a heck of a young pitcher down in Toledo, where he had a spot start. He started off in Erie. He’s a starter, like Joel Zumaya. Possibly one slated for a future spot in the rotation. The Tigers would like to see him develop further. But I think, if the bullpen needs help, he may be able to step in and be a shutdown guy. His strikeout to walk ratio is over 3 to 1. He’s struck out more than a batter an inning in his nearly 77-1/3 innings this year. Just two times has an opposing batter homered off him. And he’s allowed just 18 runs. 15 earned.

In his one start in AAA, he impressed. ““I thought he pitched great,” said Hens catcher Brian Peterson in the Toledo Blade article. “He pounded the zone with four-seamers and two-seamers. He threw his off-speed pitches down when he needed to. He pitched unbelievable. He fits right in with our other starters.”

His numbers project well, and there’s a pretty good chance we see him in a Tigers uniform this year. And there’s a decent chance he’s going to stay up once he makes it, but almost certainly in the bullpen with those innings already burned up on his 23-year-old arm.

So I think there’s some help. The pitching staff keeps getting younger and younger, but no one IDs them when they’re getting the job done.

Sum it up.

Your Tigers are fine, and in all likelyhood around for the long haul. Don’t project too much for the regular season based on the gaunlet. Just hope the Tigers learned a thing or two they can apply throughout the year and hope to get some of these teams on the second time around.

The big worry for me is the Tigers seeming inability to get past the White Sox with any regularity. That could haunt them, or some of these 1-run games could go the other way.

If there’s postseason play, feel free to look back and freak out. But wins against the Yankees count the same in the standings as wins against the Royals until then.

Whew. That was probably too long of a post.

By the way, Jason Beck posted his thoughts on the stretch. Some build on what I thought or touched on things I didn’t think of.

All in all, for a sub-.500 stretch, it couldn’t have gone much better.