Streaking Tigers look To Run Away With The AL Central In The 2nd Half

Jul 10

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Wednesday July.10/2013

As of the 10th of July, the Tigers are 49 -40 and sit 3.5 games in front of the Cleveland Indians in first place in the AL Central. The question is, should they be running away with the division instead of just treading water at the to?  Luckily for the Tigers they have a very easy second half schedule, probably the easiest of all MLB division leaders. Can they run away with the division? We’ll find out soon.

By Dan Wanser (Baseball Writer):  

Going into play today, the Tigers sit 3.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.

However, should they be further ahead. Because of last year, many people who follow the MLB expected Detroit to run away with the division,and that hasn’t been the case.

Last season, the Tigers finished their season with an 88 – 74 record – and won 33 of their last 44 home games down the stretch after a slow start. The Tigers need another run like that this year to solidify their spot in the playoffs.

2013 Detroit Tigers Pump-Up Video:

In addition to Cabrera and Fielder, Omar Infante hit .346, with 27 Hits, 8 Doubles before being taken out on a hard slide inthe last 30 days . Austin Jackson had 30 Hits, Walked 15 Times in 23 GP, scoring 21 runs. Torii Hunter had 32 Hits in 25 GP, with 18 RBI. Jhonny Peralta struggled offensively but still managed 8 Doubles. Matt Tuisasosopo had 3 HRs and 3 Doubles, plus 6 RBI in his last 17 AB!

In addition to Cabrera’s hot month of play, Omar Infante hit .346, with 27 Hits, 8 Doubles before being taken out on a hard slide in the last 30 days . Austin Jackson had 30 Hits, Walked 15 Times in 23 GP, scoring 21 runs. Torii Hunter had 32 Hits in 25 GP, with 18 RBI. Jhonny Peralta struggled offensively but still managed 8 Doubles. Matt Tuisasosopo had 3 HRs and 3 Doubles, plus 6 RBI in his last 17 AB!  Andy Dirks has 7 hits and 6 Runs in his last 5 Games Played.

Detroit’s hitting is carrying the Tigers right now and is the main reason the Tigers are leading the AL Central.

This year, the Tigers are having a rollercoaster ride of a season with plenty of ups and downs. On the upside, the Tigers are a very good offensive team.

Being Led by Miguel Cabrera, Detroit has five players who are hitting above the .300 mark.  On top of that, they also have five players with 40 + RBI’s.

Pitching has been the problem for Detroit so far this year. Despite the great pitching by Max Scherzer, the Detroit Tigers have a team ERA over 5.

Verlander has not been himself this year because of a mechanical flaw he is trying to work out. Up to this point in the season he is 9-6 with an ERA of 3.71 - after absolutely being plastered by the White Sox late last night.

Verlander has not been himself this year because of a mechanical flaw he is trying to work out. Up to this point in the season he is 9-6 with an ERA of 3.71 – after absolutely being plastered by the White Sox late last night.

Last year, Verlander went 17 – 8 with an ERA of 2.64. That doesn’t make his stats this year bad, they are just not what people expected. He isn’t the only Tiger pitcher to struggle though. Detroit has 11 pitchers with an ERA over 3.5.

One of the big reasons the Tigers are leading the division is their hitting. Over the last seven games, Victor Martinez, Torii Hunter, Andy Dirks, Miguel Cabrera, and Austin Jackson are all hitting over .300.

Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera are huge factors in the Tigers winning record right now. Cabrera is leading the team with an average over .360 – and is in the running for a second straight Triple Crown if he can catch the Home-run leader Chris Davis. (He is currently 4 HRs behind 33 – 29.)

Because of the situation the Tigers are in, they would like to make some moves. One potential trade they might want to make would be for Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Detroit has had some trouble in the bullpen, specifically from the closer role. Papelbon would definitely help the bullpen, and could make a big difference when the Tigers attempt to make a deep playoff run.

The Tigers also have great depth in the OF with the likes of Andy Dirks, Avisail Garcia and Matt Tuiasosopo has even provided pop.  It would require a combination of the two merged to provide the Phightins’ enough in return  to pull the trigger.

If that doesn’t work, they should still target the usual suspects of Luke Gregerson, Brian Wilson, Huston Street and Glen Perkins.

Miguel Cabrera is hitting right out of his head right now, coming in at a 1.236 OPS by way of 12 HRs, 25 RBI, 20 Runs Scored among his 37 hits and .363 BA over the last 30 Days. Fielder has struggled average wise, but he walks a ton, and you can bet he will have 30 HRs and 100 RBI by season's end. These two both went off in the 2nd half last year, leading the Tigers charge in a late season run - that saw them eclipse the White Sox during the last month of the campaign. The Tigers lost the 2012 World Series in 4 to the Giants. They want redemption in 2013.

Miguel Cabrera is hitting right out of his head right now, coming in at a 1.236 OPS by way of 12 HRs, 25 RBI, 20 Runs Scored among his 37 hits and .363 BA over the last 30 Days. Fielder has struggled average wise lately, but he walks a ton, and you can bet he will have 30 HRs and 100 RBI by season’s end. These two both went off in the 2nd half last year, leading the Tigers charge in a late season run – that saw them eclipse the White Sox during the last month of the campaign. The Tigers lost the 2012 World Series in 4 to the Giants. They want redemption in 2013.

*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com or their partners ***

A big thank-you goes out to Our writer Dan Wanser for preparing today’s featured article.  Dan is a Baseball Writer for MLB reports. He is a Junior at Pottsville High School in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Dan is a huge fan of Chase Utley and Cliff Lee.  He has been a baseball fan his whole life and loves writing about baseball.

You can reach Dan on Twitter  

a dan wasner

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Today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast begins in Italian.
Why?
Because the wonderful Italian MLB Podcast Nel Nome del Gioco, gave me a nice notice and I am saying Grazie to the hosts Marco Barbanera and Pietro Striano.

As for San Francisco Giants fans… you are forbidden to watch today’s game. The team has been too cruel to you.

Posted on July 10, 2013, in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Comments Off on Streaking Tigers look To Run Away With The AL Central In The 2nd Half.

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