The Detroit Tigers Will Make the Postseason

While the pundits and greater baseball world have their focus on the A’s and Angels this week, there is a series with slightly less magic yet objectively more importance. In what is shaping up as one of the more interesting rivalries in baseball, the Chicago White Sox host the Detroit Tigers.  The White Sox won game one last night 6-1, but for most of it, things were much closer and I couldn’t help but think that the Tigers were the better team.  They made three errors and Miguel Cabrera grounded into a killer double play early on.  To an outsider like me, how they lost last night sums up the disappointments of the season to this point.  However, they are very simply the most talented team in the AL Central and will prove it over the next three days.

Last night’s loss puts the Tigers three games out with 22 to play, but all is certainly not lost; especially when one looks at the remaining schedule.  The Tigers will play, after these next three with Chicago, 16 of their next 19 against the Indians, Twins, and Royals.  It’s go time in Detroit.

We’ll get to the mathematics in a minute, but for now we’ll take an objective look at the roster differences between the Tigers and White Sox.  Consider that White Sox masher Adam Dunn is likely to sit out this entire series because of an oblique strain.  History might indicate he’s more hurt than he cares to admit.  Francisco Liriano is still making starts for the White Sox and we’ve written how volatile that can be. And Kevin Youkilis is sporting a moustache that makes White Sox games nearly unwatchable (see below).  Speaking of unwatchable, Hawk Harrelson is the single worst announcer in baseball.  You can put that on the board.

4 Comments

1. mickeylolichreturns

   September 11, 2012 at 1:34 pm

   Thanks for your vote of confidence and optimism Re: Tigers. But unfortunately when it gets this close the skippers should be scrutinized as well. They have to have some nuances of “thinking on their feet” throughout each game. And Leyland fails this test. Plus lowly Cleveland, KC have dominated the Tigers this year, and the A’s speak for themselves. But, of course, my HOPE is that you are correct.

   Reply
   • canttouchme

     September 11, 2012 at 5:27 pm

     Mickey–I think this is very optomistic. The Tigs have failed against these
     bottom feeders. Finally we have the worst skipper at the helm since
     the Titanic…why worry..so we have a bumpy ride ahead. I think the Tigers will
     finish 10 over at best…and I do not expect them to do better than a split with the Sox. After last night the Sox are thinking broom and they have the chemistry to do it.
     Leyland could not win a one horse race.

     Reply
     • mickeylolichreturns

       September 11, 2012 at 6:52 pm

       I know cant, but i didn’t want to discourage this young writer in his pick too much.

       Reply

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