Location: Detroit, Mich. | Ballpark: Comerica Park (41,000) | Spring Training: Lakeland, Fla.
Owner: Mike Ilitch | GM: Dave Dombrowski | Manager: Jim Leyland | World Championships: 4
I don't profess to be a baseball forensic pathologist or anything, but those conducting the Justin Verlander postmortem might want to begin with the 74 walks he's allowed in 178 innings, compared with 67 in 202 innings last year ... The entirety of Jim Leyland's postgame press conference following Monday's Labor Day matinee, which doesn't deserve to be categorized as professional baseball: "I'll make this easy for you. We basically threw a lot of balls when we should have thrown strikes and we threw some strikes when we should have thrown balls. And that's the end of the conversation. I'll see you later." And then it was off to the tunnel for another stealth cigarette. Poor guy.
08/26/2008
19
18
How oh-my-lord impressive were those three dingers Miguel Cabrera hit in Kansas City this weekend? Impressive enough to force the national media to run highlights from the otherwise pointless and invisible Tigers/Royals series, that's how. ... The Tigers (Magglio Ordonez, Edgar Renteria, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Brandon Inge) have passed the Yankees to claim the league lead in the all-important "number of players starting to look really, really old."
08/19/2008
18
18
The on-field play: blah. The off-field whining: bleh. They're baseball's prime go-in-the-tank candidate for the season's final five weeks.
08/12/2008
18
17
Welcome to the 2008 season, Miguel Cabrera. You can put your street clothes in the locker to your left. Please arrive promptly at 8 a.m. tomorrow for your physical and weigh-in. ... Uh-oh. Gary Sheffield has realized that he has subtly been demoted into a semi-platoon. Mobilize the National Guard and place no fewer than two security guards around Jim Leyland at all times, even in the shower.
08/05/2008
17
14
Yankees fans giggled when Kyle Farnsworth fetched something in barter other than a pail of fertile soil, knowing that he has a preternatural gift for surrendering home runs at the worst possible moment. Detroit fans figured this out somewhere around 4 p.m. ET on Sunday. ... Jim Leyland to the media after Sunday's late implosion against the Rays: "Write what you want." OK! Poop fart Fernando Rodney fart Edgar Renteria doodie. ... The schedule turns slightly kinder after the three-game series at Chicago, with a 10-game Oakland/Toronto/Baltimore homestand.
07/29/2008
14
13
Fernando Rodney has been the best arm in the Detroit 'pen of late, so now they're going to hold him back until the ninth inning and let some other poor sap get bombed in the seventh and eighth. Brilliant. ... Dontrelle Willis in the minors on Saturday: 73 pitches, 37 strikes. ... Taking care of business against the apathetic Indians this week might not be a bad idea, especially with a Tampa/ChiSox road trip on the immediate horizon.
07/22/2008
13
9
There's not a lot to say here. They remain a threat for the same reasons they did at the start of the season (Justin Verlander atop the rotation, loud bats in the lineup) and a dicey bet owing to issues that anybody could have spotted back in March (heavy reliance on oldy-old olds, health concerns in the 'pen) ... Todd Jones has been nicknamed "Roller Coaster," owing to his "thrilling" ups and downs. May I suggest a few alternatives? "Land Mine," "The Vominator," "Toddie Tiger."
07/09/2008
9
10
Look out, Miguel Cabrera has the potential to scorch. He hasn't really hit his stride yet. Sluggers notoriously do 50 percent of their damage in 25 percent of the season, so there is plenty of time for Miggy to mash the Tigers back into the AL Central race.
07/01/2008
10
14
An 18-4 run -- thanks mostly to the lowly NL incapable of holding them down -- has given them life. Despite Magglio Ordonez going on the DL, Joel Zumaya is back, Gary Sheffield, too, and it will be interesting to see how long this torrid stretch lasts. The schedule is not threatening until August.
06/24/2008
14
17
They have won four consecutive series, the offense has broken out of its first-half slumber and Justin Verlander has kicked his slump. They haven't been this high since the start of the season and we might not see them any lower from here on out.
Preseason Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
02/28/2008
3
-
They have to win now and the world should get to see what Miguel Cabrera can do with a great supporting cast. Dontrelle Willis should have a nice rebound, too. We might have picked them No. 1 overall, but: 1. We are not sure Jeremy Bonderman (elbow) is healthy; 2. Todd Jones is tough to rely on at closer; 3. Joel Zumaya (shoulder) is out until at least July.
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