Detroit Tigers Aim to Bounce Back Into Playoff Race in Fenway Park This Weekend

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Jul 30, 2010

Detroit Tigers Aim to Bounce Back Into Playoff Race in Fenway Park This Weekend It’s amazing how quickly things can turn around in a baseball season.

The Detroit Tigers know this all too well. In 2009, Detroit held a seven-game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central on Sept. 6. Exactly one month later, the Tigers were hanging their heads as they walked off the turf at the Metrodome, after the Twins came all the way back to tie them in the division and beat them in a one-game playoff.

Flash forward to July 7, 2010. Detroit held a one-game lead over the White Sox and a game and a half over the Twins in the Central. Three weeks and injuries to Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen later, the Tigers are six games out of first place as they get set to close out a miserable road trip in Boston.

The Tigers are down, but certainly not out. Miguel Cabrera is having an MVP season with a .347 average, 25 home runs and a major league-leading 89 RBIs. Rookies Brennan Boesch and Austin Jackson have been lighting it up offensively, and Jackson is one of the most exciting defensive center fielders to watch in all of baseball.

And the Tigers still have their ace-in-the-hole, Justin Verlander, to go along with a young pitching staff that has shown potential.

With a strong bullpen that features All-Star closer Jose Valverde (21 saves, 1.81 ERA), the Tigers still have plenty of time to make a run in the Central down the stretch. After their series with the Red Sox in Fenway, Detroit heads home for a crucial four-game set against the rival White Sox.

But as Wade Fink from The Daily Fungo tells us, the Tigers’ success in the last two months of the season may rely on what Detroit does before the July 31 trade deadline.

NESN.com: Last time the Tigers and Red Sox met, Detroit took two out of three from Boston at Comerica Park in mid-May. What can we expect to see from the Tigers in the rematch at Fenway?

Wade Fink: A lot has changed for the boys representing the Motor City since their impressive 5-2 home stand against the Yankees and Red Sox in May. The most notable difference is the makeup of the Detroit lineup. Still anchored by triple crown candidate Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers are riddled with key injuries including right fielder Magglio Ordonez (six to eight weeks), second baseman Carlos Guillen (two weeks), third baseman Brandon Inge (four to six weeks) and reliever Joel Zumaya (season). Red Sox Nation can empathize with Tiger fans.

That said, expect to see a much younger, less recognizable roster that includes eight rookies. Will Rhymes (2B) and Jeff Larish (OF) were called up from Triple-A Toledo to replace Ordonez and Guillen. The Tigers also acquired Jhonny Peralta via trade from the Indians in a move that general manager Dave Dombrowski says is geared at putting more veterans in the lineup.

Starting pitching has been inconsistent, but the Sox will be facing the Tigers’ toughest starters in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander on Saturday and Sunday. Despite struggling here and there, Scherzer has been basically lights out in recent starts with a 2.48 ERA in the month of July.

The Tigers have asked a lot of their bullpen — almost 900 innings — but they have responded by posting a 3.50 ERA. The 'pen is led by all-star closer Jose Valverde.

Expect a young, scrappy team that struggles to bring runners home and relies heavily on pitching to keep its head above water in the American League Central. Note: The Tigers are 16-32 on the road.

NESN.com: Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen recently went on the DL, with Ordonez’s broken ankle keeping him out for 6-8 weeks. Will the Tigers make a move before the deadline (or during the waiver period) to beef up their offense?

W.F.: GM Dave Dombrowski has said that the Tigers will be “active” in talking to people, but he is not willing to "mortgage" the team’s future for a "two-month guy."

Things have changed drastically since the Ordonez injury. The Tigers were, without question, a buyer before he went down. Now it is a really difficult position for Dombrowski because, despite being so depleted, the team is still alive in a mediocre AL Central. The holes to fill, though, are abundant.

Ted Lilly, Adam Dunn, Jermaine Dye, Mike Lowell, Jayson Werth, Jose Guillen and Jeff Francoeur have all had their names tied to the Tigers at some point this past week, but always take the July rumors with a grain of salt.

Dealing for Jhonny Peralta sends the signal that Dombrowski is trying to fill holes as cheaply as possible. As the deadline nears, and some teams desperately try to move certain players, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Tigers pulled the trigger on a few small trades. Because the gap continues to grow between the Tigers, Twins and White sox, though, I wouldn’t expect a blockbuster.

NESN.com: Looking back on the Curtis Granderson trade, would you say that the Tigers made a good move for 2010? What about long term?

W.F.: I have zero doubt in my mind that the Tigers got the best of this deal both in the short term and long term.

Reasonable minds can debate into the night about Austin Jackson and Curtis Granderson, but Jackson has been an absolute pleasure to watch. Jackson is a more valuable leadoff hitter than Granderson, collecting 115 hits, while scoring 65 runs, stealing 16 bases, slapping 25 doubles and hitting .313. Granderson still struggles against lefties, does not get on base, and his power numbers are not enough to compensate for his batting average. Defensively it’s no contest, either. Granderson’s defensive skills were diminishing as he left Detroit, and Jackson has displayed a better arm and impressive range in spacious Comerica Park.

For argument’s sake, let’s call the Max Scherzer and Edwin Jackson part of the deal a wash.

That leaves the Tigers with Phil Coke basically for free. In his last 23 outings Coke has a 0.50 ERA on 14 hits with 14 strikeouts and seven walks. He has been an extremely reliable reliever against both righties and lefties.

And don’t forget Daniel Schlereth. The guy throws 99 to 100 miles per hour from the left side and has been solid in minor league ball.

The Tigers received 16 years worth of relatively cheap contracts in four players. All four are under 30 years old. They also avoided paying nearly $26 million dollars on the remainder of Granderson’s contract. The brilliance of this deal will be seen for years, especially in free agency.

NESN.com: Miguel Cabrera has always been a great player, but he’s never put up numbers like he’s doing in 2010. What has been the reason for Cabrera’s incredible success, and what can we expect to see out of him down the stretch?

W.F.: This is probably the easiest question you asked. Cabrera cleaned up his act, got in shape and started the spring with a new attitude.

One major concern about Cabrera on the field was that, at times, it seemed he would take at-bats off. He seemed disinterested. This year Cabrera takes every at-bat seriously, works every count and has become very productive with two strikes.

Off the field, Cabrera has been a joy in the clubhouse. He interacts with teammates, jokes with reporters and appears to be enjoying the game.

The Tampa Bay Rays intentionally walked Cabrera to load the bases, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position twice earlier this week. I think it goes without saying that the guy is immensely talented and may be the most feared hitter in baseball. You can expect the same down the stretch.

NESN.com: The Tigers have played a lot of rookies this year, including starting center fielder Austin Jackson and left fielder Brennan Boesch. Which rookie has been the most important piece to the Tigers in 2010?

W.F.: This one is impossible. The Tigers have lived and died with their rookies.

Brennan Boesch entered the bigs red hot, hitting .365 in his first month in the league. He has since cooled and the Tigers offense has suffered. Because of his struggles, Miguel Cabrera is left unprotected and the lineup loses a run producer. The Tigers have had no problem setting the table, but they have been atrocious with runners in scoring position. Boesch’s struggles have a direct correlation to that.

Austin Jackson has been incredibly consistent all season. He’s been over .300 pretty much since game one, and has been one of the most reliable hitters in the Detroit lineup. He sets the table, steals bases and scores runs. What’s truly amazing is the way he roams center field.  He’s just graceful, almost like he’s on ice skates out there.

I’m going to flake out on this question a little bit. Boesch was probably the most important rookie in terms of keeping the Tigers in contention, if for nothing else, the fact that he offered Cabrera protection. Jackson, though, has been the Tigers most consistent and reliable rookie.

NESN.com: Johnny Damon makes yet another return to Fenway Park this weekend — this time in a Tigers’ uniform. Has Damon lived up to his one-year, $8 million contract?

W.F.: Damon is a class act and true professional. He has been worth every penny.

On the field his production has been down, but that is largely due to the Tigers struggles to score in general. He has hovered around .280 all season, while providing the Tigers with a lot of rally sparks, including two walk-off home runs. He is a true battler at the plate, an expert at working the count and finding a way to get on base, moving runners and bringing guys home.

He may be even more valuable off the field. He is, in a way, the team spokesman. He has called team meetings, bought his teammates clubhouse gifts and kept players light in the clubhouse. Often times he can be seen coaching one of the Tigers’ eight rookies in the dugout, an intangible not found so often among major league egos.

Thanks again to Wade Fink from The Daily Fungo for helping out with this article.

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