He seemed to right the ship until last night, when the hard-hitting O’s hung 7 hits (2 homers) and 5 earned runs on him in just 5 innings of work, dropping his record to 8-5 in the process. Verlander’s season long ERA is now 3.72 with a shady 1.35 WHIP. Consider that in 2011 and ’12 his WHIP was 0.92 and 1.06 respectively.

Justin Verlander is missing some swagger

The translation? He is giving up hits by the barrel-full and walking more than he’s used to. To find a season of comparable stats you’d probably have to go back to his rookie season of 2006 when he finished 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.

Verlander’s BABIP (batting average on balls in play) allowed this year is .344. The highest it has ever been in a full season for the franchise player was .319 back in 2009. So is this an indicator of Verlander being unlucky or simply easier to hit? His lifetime BABIP is .287.

A closer examination of his numbers this year reveals some interesting factoids. First, his strikeout/9 inning ratio is at an all-time high of 10.37. Yet his 3.13 walks/9 would be his highest mark by a long shot with the exception of his wobbly 2008 campaign. However, his home run and ground ball rates are right on par with his norm.

Some fans point to his decreased velocity as a reason for his lack of success. Last year he averaged 94.3 MPH on his heater. This year he’s at 92.6. He did show in Tuesday night’s loss that he can still ramp it up to 97 when needed, but it doesn’t seem to come along with the same command we saw over the past few seasons. Another factor leading to the overall decrease in fastball speed is that he isn’t lasting as long into games as he did in 2011 and ’12. He already has 5 starts this season in which he hasn’t lasted past the 5th inning. 100 pitches and 6+ innings used to be his floor and the later innings were when he would dial the fastball up to 97-100 MPH. Last longer and the overall velocity may increase along with the innings.

Verlander, recipient of a contract worth around $200M, has essentially performed as Detroit’s 4th best starter this year. That is not a proper return on investment. Will the overly competitive athlete that he is be able to step up his game?

From my perspective, command seems to be his primary issue this year. He will follow up a nasty curve ball on the black with a fastball way out of the zone. Or he’ll laser beam two straight fastballs on the inside corner and then hang the curveball. JV’s ability to command his elite arsenal was what raised his game over the past two years. His inability to do that with similar consistency in 2013 is exactly why he has fallen a few rungs from the elite.

Is it mental? A confidence thing? That seems very possible. Is it something personal at play? We’ll probably never know that answer, but something is different. The tenacious bulldog who used to toe the mound with an air of ‘you can’t touch me’ has been replaced with a guy who is searching for the proper flow and feel.

It certainly isn’t time to panic in regards to Justin Verlander, but it might be time to pay closer attention to what is holding him back.

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Miguel Cabrera is looking to become one of three players in MLB history to own two Triple Crown Titles in their career.

Last year, Miguel Cabrera’s remarkable 2012 season ended in a Triple Crown Title. Those 45 years marked the longest gap in baseball history between the prestigious award campaigns. Cabrera led the American League with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs, making him the 15th Triple Crown winner and the first since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

Cabrera joined an honor roll of Triple Crown winners that includes Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb. Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby each did it twice.

So as the 2013 season rolls around, Cabrera is back at it again, trying to join Williams and Hornsby as the only players in history to win the Triple Crown twice.

If you thought Cabrera’s 2012 season was spectacular, his Triple Crown numbers thus far have eclipsed each category that he had last season. As of June 18, Cabrera leads the American League in RBI (71), batting avg. (.358), and is 2nd in home runs (19). During this time last year Cabrera only had 54 RBI, a .310 batting avg. and 14 home runs.

The only difference between this year’s Triple Crown race is that Cabrera has a legitimate contender to not only stop him from winning the award in back-to-back years, but also can take the award home for his own display.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis is off to a historic start for his team in this 2013 season. As of June 18, 2013, Davis has 24 home runs, 61 RBI, and a .337 batting average. Davis and Cabrera are 1-2 in batting average, home runs and RBI in the American League.

If you think both players did not know of the previous stat coming into the 3-game set between the Orioles and the Tigers beginning on June 17 in Comerica Park, well..think again.

During the first game of this series, in the bottom half of the 1st inning, Miguel Cabrera hit a 2-run shot deep into right centerfield that gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead over the Orioles. So in the next top-half of the inning, American League home run leader Chris Davis felt the need to “match” Cabrera’s home run. So like Cabrera, Davis hit a home run into deep right centerfield, almost in the same area where Cabrera’s homer landed.  The only difference was Davis’s home run was a solo shot.

But after reading a piece on CBSSports.com of the Davis and Cabrera home runs on June 17, it showed an image that ESPN Stats & Info tweeted at 10:26 p.m. that caught my attention. Below is the link to the article, scroll down to view the image:

http://http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/22455171/videos-miguel-cabrera-chris-davis-homer-to-same-spot

The image showed that Davis’s 2nd inning home run was not only in the same area, but 5 feet away from Cabrera’s 1st inning home run. Davis’s home run was measured at 425 feet and got there in 4.25 seconds, while Cabrera’s home run measured at 420 feet and got there in 5.59 seconds.

Was Davis trying to prove a point to Detroit Tiger fans and Miguel Cabrera that his home run swing is more powerful than last year’s Triple Crown winner? Maybe. But the other thing that was on my mind was how lucky were the fans in that 5-feet radius who had two legit chances to catching a home run ball from either Cabrera or Davis? Like seriously, that would be a souvenir I would love to have the ownership of.

As this 2013 season progresses, we will see which of these two players will be able to withstand the pressure and stay on top of the leader board in their respective categories.

As a Detroit Tigers fan, it will be interesting to see how Cabrera performs with the pressure that Davis is putting on him to take the Triple Crown Title away. Cabrera is a proven winner though, and with the pace he is on thus far, the only people that should be worried in this situation are the opposing pitchers who would have to face Cabrera, or Davis for that matter.

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Tigers fans are getting restless with their closer Jose Valverde. It’s time that Detroit looks into a new direction for their closer situation.

We all know it’s not about how you start, but it’s how you finish that defines who you are. If that’s the case, the Detroit Tigers are like an unsolved mystery with having Jose Valverde as their closer.

In 12 of the opportunities manager Jim Leyland has called on Valverde to close the game, he has completed the job at hand only 9 of the times. Valverde already has three blown saves , which means (for you non-mathematicians), that Valverde will lose the game for the Tigers every fourth time he enters the game to (oh by the way) do his JOB. After Wednesdays loss to the Kansas City Royals, where Valverde gave up a game tying two-run home run in the 9th inning, and Phil Coke got the loss in the 10th, the Tigers have lost four games in which they led heading into the 9th inning. That is an unacceptable stat especially for a team that has world-series-or-bust expectations.

There is an easy way managers could look at their closer situation; if your closer has an ERA which is close to a GPA that you would be happy for your son or daughter having, then it’s time to look into acquiring someone new do the job. Jose Valverde’s ERA is at 4.15, which if I had a kid and he/she had that GPA, I’ll be making sure part of my job earnings go towards a college savings account for an Ivy league school.

Seriously though, the Tigers have too much on the line to have Valverde disrupt to what seems to be a special season for Detroit. So I think Jim Leyland and General Manager Dave Dombrowski have three options when dealing with their closer situation.

Here they are:

1. Sign a free agent closer- The only person that comes to my mind when I think of free agent closers is former San Francisco Giants pitcher Brian Wilson. In 2010, Wilson led the National League with 48 saves and has a 1.81 ERA. During the playoffs, he had saves in the clinching games of the  NL Division Series, the NL Championship Series, and the World Series. In 2011, Wilson was among the top three in saves in the NL until August, when he suffered an elbow injury. He had 36 saves at the time. He missed most of the 2012 season after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery in April. Two things that worry me about signing a guy like Wilson are: 1. We don’t know how he’ll perform coming back from a serious injury Like a Tommy John, and  2. He is also asking for a big contract in terms of money, something the Tigers might not have to offer. But if the Tigers look to make it back to the World Series, an experienced closer like Wilson would be a perfect fit for the team.

2. Trading for a Closer- Two targets the Tigers organization could be looking at acquiring before the trade deadline are Tom Wilhelmsen from the Seattle Mariners  or Huston Street from the San Diego Padres. The Tigers could try to go back to the place where they stole Doug Fister in the 2011 trade deadline and get Wilhelmsen from the Mariners. Wilhelmsen is still cheap though in terms of his contract with the Mariners, so he’d be expensive to acquire, and  he hasn’t exactly been lights-out, blowing his fourth save on Wednesday.  But a change in scenery can be the difference for Wilhelmsen to succeed as a closer. Just ask Fister how much that has made a difference for him. Street on the other hand is a proven closer. He finished the 2012 season with 23 saves in 24 chances and a 1.85 ERA in 39 innings pitched, striking out 47 against 11 walks. His consistency is something the Tigers have lacked at the closer position for as long as I can remember. And I know Street wouldn’t mind pitching for a World Series contender either. The Tigers just might have to give up one of their staring pitchers, or a top prospect to land Street.

3. Closing with a Smyly- Detroit Tigers relief pitcher (starting pitcher by trade) Drew Smyly has proven he can be their best option as closer this season. Smyly has shown he can crank up his fastball up to 94-95 mph in relief so far. Smyly also has a 2.11 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 38 innings. He’s crushed left-handers, holding them to a .127 average and no extra-base hits. I understand he might not have the history as being a everyday closer, but just know that the past two World Series winners entered the playoffs with relievers who had become their team’s closer during the season: Jason Motte with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 and Sergio Romo for the San Francisco Giants last year. And besides, the Tigers organization won’t lose money or a future prospect with having a guy like Smyly as their closer. So it’s almost a win-win situation for the team. They don’t have much to lose either with trying a guy like Smyly at the closer position, especially if they think Mr. “Jo-hay, where did the ball go” Valverde, can do the job.

It’s a fair point. The Tigers are 36-27, which is good enough to place them 5.5 games atop the spotty AL Central. 36-27 isn’t exactly a record that makes you want to hide your eyes. After all, if the Tigers continue to win 57% of their games they’ll finish the season at 92-70, which will be more than enough to send them to their 3rd straight playoff appearance.

Whatcha got Miguel?

However, drop the Tigers as they sit today in the AL East and they’re a 4th place team. The same applies in an NL Central comparison. They’d be 3rd in the AL West. In fact, the only other division they’d be leading besides their own is the NL West as they have the same amount of wins as the D’backs but 2 less losses.

A phrase I’ve heard recently comes to mind when considering how Tigers fans perceive the current season: “I want more.”

Consider these pitching numbers:

• As a starting rotation, the Tigers’ 3.46 ERA is 4th best in MLB
• The rotation has turned in 44 quality starts, 2nd only to the Phillies’ 45
• The pitching staff as a whole has struck out 614 batters, far and away the best in the business
• The staff has surrendered just a .237 batting average against, 3rd best in baseball
• Their 168 walks allowed is the 7th best mark across baseball

How about these offensive stats:

• Detroit has scored 322 runs, the 4th best mark
• Their .282 team batting average is easily the highest in baseball (.277 for St. Louis)
• Their .350 on-base % is 2nd best behind only Boston’s .352 mark
• No team has more hits than Detroit’s 636
• Only 3 teams have taken more than the 230 walks Tigers’ hitters have worked
• Similarly, only 3 teams have struck out less than the 425 whiffs by the Tigers

Here are a few numbers that might explain a thing or two:

• The collective bullpen ERA of 3.78 is ranked just 14th
• The team has combined for 19 stolen bases, tied for 3rd worst
• Detroit ranks 12th in home runs with 68
• The Tigers have blown 8 saves

Even with a few of these shortcomings it is somewhat hard to believe that the team doesn’t have four or five more wins on the ledger. You can subscribe to a few different theories here:

1. It’s Jim Leyland’s fault, or Tom Brookens’, or Lloyd McClendon’s…,
2. Their record is like Victor Martinez’s batting average. It will rise to the surface. The law of averages will play out. A team can’t dominate statistically like this and still fall short of excellence at the end of the day,
3. The bullpen needs to be shored up,
4. Manufacturing runs on the road would be easier if the Tigers could run just a little bit, or
5. They just don’t have ‘it’, whatever it is.

No matter what side of the fence you sit on, it seems pretty clear here on June 12th that the Tigers are on a collision course with the playoffs for the 3rd time in as many seasons. They have the pieces to dominate most categories, and that should be plenty good enough.

Will their weak division cost them during the playoffs by way of the stiffer competition that comes along with it? Or will a guy like Miguel Cabrera have that one magical postseason that carries this team to its first championship in 30 years?

I have a hunch. What’s yours?

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With the 20th pick in the 1st round, the Tigers took power right-hander Jonathon Crawford out of the University of Florida. He checks in at 6’2’’, 205 lbs. and can ramp his fastball up to 96 MPH. He possesses an electric slider and has a no-hitter on his college resume. Crawford pitched for Team USA over the summer.

Jonathon Crawford

In the tweener pick at #39 between rounds 1 and 2, the Tigers dipped into Texas and grabbed another junior right-hander. This time it was Longhorn relief pitcher Corey Knebel. His fastball can also touch the mid 90’s and he features a nasty curveball that is considered his ‘out pitch’. With the struggles the Tigers have seen in their bullpen this year, a guy like Knebel could be an extremely fast-riser but that isn’t Detroit’s plan of attack. Despite being slotted as a reliever and a very good one at Texas, the initial plan for the Tigers is to give Knebel a chance as a starter. Word on the street is that Knebel also has a slurve and a changeup so the shot at being a starter is a legitimate one.

In the 2nd round, and with the 58th pick overall, the Tigers selected yet another college-aged junior. This time it was lefty Kevin Ziomek. He is a starter and checks in at 6’3’’, 200 lbs. Ziomek was originally drafted in the 13th round by the Diamondbacks in 2010. After an up and down start to his college career he has used his 3-pitch mix (fastball, curve, changeup) to put his name back on the map. His changeup is considered to be his best pitch.

With position players such as Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia rising through the Tigers’ ranks and destined for everyday at-bats in the not-so-distant future, not to mention the core of the Tigers’ lineup being locked up for years to come, Dave Dombrowski, Al Avila, and David Chadd decided to go after some much needed pitching depth. The potential free agent departure of Max Scherzer after the 2014 season is also a major factor here.

Often times, players drafted into an MLB organization are nothing more than shooting stars. A lot of buzz and hype surrounds them and then they quickly fizzle out and slide off the radar. The Tigers have had plenty of guys that fit this bill such as former 1st rounders Kyle Sleeth and Kenny Baugh. Remember those guys?

Hopefully the trio of Crawford, Knebel, and Ziomek avoid the usual traps of injury, difficulty transitioning to better hitting leagues, and the temptations that come with being a ‘paid’ baseball player. The Detroit Tigers could certainly stand to have these guys make a quick rise through the system and provide immediate and solid depth to the current staff of arms.

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For those of you who think they know Detroit Tigers ace Max Scherzer, think again!

As many of you may know already, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer has started his 2013 season as a legitimate CY Young candidate. Scherzer has posted a perfect 8-0 record through 12 starts with 100 strikeouts. His 8 wins are tied for the most in the American League, while his 100 strikeouts sits second on the list behind Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish. Scherzer, and Boston Red Sox’s ace Clay Buchholz, are the only two remaining unbeaten starting pitchers in the American League who have had at least 5 starts to account for. Scherzer has become a legitimate ace of a Tigers team who already roster players like former MVP and Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander, and Anibal Sanchez, who has posted one no-hitter and four one-hitters in his young career.

What you may not know about Scherzer is that he goes out to every game playing with a heavy heart.

Born on July 27, 1984 in St. Louis, Missouri, Max, 28, was three years older then his brother Alex. According to a piece written about Max Scherzer by Robert Sanchez of ESPN The Magazine, Sanchez said, “As kids growing up in Chesterfield, Mo., you didn’t see one Scherzer boy without the other. Max and Alex played whiffle ball in the back yard, basketball on the driveway, pingpong in the basement. In the summers, they’d visit the family’s lake house 45 miles outside St. Louis. They’d track frogs and crawdads in a creek bed, splashing together among the rocks. ‘”They were classic, all-American kids,”‘ Brad Scherzer (the father of Max and Alex) says.” ‘”Our boys.”‘

Once Max entered the majors, Sanchez said, “Alex and Max’s relationship had begun to transcend their brotherly bond. In many ways, Alex had invested part of himself in his brother. He felt Max’s successes and failures as if they were his own, and even joked about wanting to be Max’s agent. In truth, he was already playing the role of his brother’s professor and psychologist — the reasonable voice amid the noise.”

Alex planned to be a lawyer once he got out of college. He told his parents he had already taken the LSATs and scored in the 92nd percentile, and that he had contacted law schools and had even begun writing application essays. But after a family vacation in 2009, Jan Scherzer, the mother of Max and Alex, said Alex didn’t seem right. She asked Alex what was wrong, and he replied back saying he’s fine-physically. After Jan asked him what he meant by that, Alex looked at his mother and said he needs to tell her something.

According to Sanchez, Alex said to his mother, “‘The doctor wanted me to tell you that I’m not going to law school,”‘ Alex began. He spoke slowly. He’d had some bad thoughts these past couple years and he couldn’t shake them.” ‘”I’m depressed,”‘ he told his mother.” ‘”I’ve thought about suicide.”‘

Alex went back to school in January of 2010. Before leaving, he told his parents that only they, his dr. and himself should know about his depression, and that Max should be left out. Alex then stopped taking his ant-depressants once he got back to school, telling his mother that he felt better.

Two years later, in 2012, Max began the season with a 7.77 ERA after his first five starts. Max had collected five wins by mid-June, but still had an ERA over 5.oo.

Sanchez said, “But deep in Max’s stats were hints of a turnaround, Alex told him. Max was leading all AL starters with more than 11 strikeouts per nine innings, and batters who put the ball in play against him were reaching base at a rate far greater than the league average — meaning their luck, and Max’s, would likely change.

On June 17, 2012, Fathers Day, Max pitched his best game of the season against the Colorado Rockies. He finished the game with 8 innings pitched, 12 strikeouts, 0 walks and 0 runs.

A few days later after Max’s spectacular start, Jan noticed Alex acting a little different. “‘He seemed disconnected, quiet,” Jan said, according to Sanchez.

On the morning of June 21, after her swim class at YMCA, Jan came back home to see Alex’s car still in the drive way. Jan searched all over the house to find Alex, calling out his name numerous of times, but he was nowhere to be found.

After searching up and down the house, Jan later found Alex in the corner of the basement.  According to Sanchez’s piece,  Jan said, “I found Alex partially sitting, partially lying on the floor. A yellow rope was wrapped around his neck, connected to weights on gym equipment. It looked fake, like a joke.” ‘”That’s not funny, Alex,”‘ Jan said. She walked closer. Alex wasn’t moving. He wasn’t breathing. ‘”No, Alex, no!”‘ she said. Jan stood over her son. “What do I do, Alex? What do I do?” she cried. Jan pulled out her cell phone and called Brad at work. She could only make out two sentences: ‘”Get home now! Alex is dead!”‘

Brad rushed home to find his house surrounded by police and paramedics. Brad demanded to go into the basement to see his son, but the police wouldn’t let him do so. Brad then stepped outside to call Max. According to Sanchez’s piece, “When Max picked up, Brad said the first thing to come to his mind: ‘”Alex is dead.”‘

“There was a long silence. Brad thought his son might have dropped the phone — he worried Max had collapsed. He then heard Max on the other end, screaming, crying. ‘”Max! Max!”‘ Brad told his son. ‘”You need to get home. We need you.”‘

Two day’s after Alex’s death, Max still had the strength and will, to make his next start against the Pittsburg Pirates. Max said he had to pitch this game for his families sake. Max finished the game with 7 strikeouts through 6 innings. During the game, all Max could think about was how he would take out the Pirates batting line-up that evening. But at night, in the quiet shadows, Max was sobbing.

Max finished the 2012 season with 16 wins, which tied for 6th most in the American League, and 231 strikeouts, which was second in the American League, only trailing his fellow teammate Justin Verlander in that category. Later in the year, Max pitched in his first career World Series game against the San Francisco Giants in game 4 in front of a sold packed crowd at Comerica Park. He finished the game with a no decision, as the Tigers lost the game, and the series, later in the 10th inning.

It took Scherzer six months to finally admit that he still needed his little brother Alex.  But by the way he has performed this season thus far, Alex has been nothing less than an inspiration for Max. If you are or if you’re not a fan of Detroit, you have to at least respect what Scherzer has done for his team, especially with everything he has come from to be where he is today. My sympathy goes out to Max and his family, as I hope only good things to come in their near future.

Go Tigers!

Guess who the Tigers have waiting in the wings to take over at shortstop? That’s right – nobody. Their top shortstop prospect in the entire system is Eugenio Suarez, and he’s not ready. He’s hitting .252 at AA Erie. Argenis Diaz had a nice spring but is batting just .235 at Toledo. Danny Worth is always an option, but he’s been banged up all season and has only logged 50 plate appearances for the Mud Hens.

Jhonny Peralta

Ramon Santiago? Yeah, right.

MLB caught a huge break in its understandable urge to bust the purported PED cheaters when Miami-based clinic Biogenesis’ Tony Bosch finally agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Bosch is expected to name names in an effort to save his own butt. As a result, a list that is expected to be around 20 could swell to dozens more. Nobody really knows what Bosch has stored away in his archives at this point.

And nobody really knows how reliable a guy like Bosch is to begin with either. He will avoid a lot of trouble by fully, and perhaps overly, cooperating with the MLB manhunt. He is perhaps the best and the worst guy to garner information from.

Indeed, the sledgehammer that is about to drop throughout the MLB landscape is going to affect teams across the country. The minimum suspension is 50 games for a 1st time offender. Others could face 100 game suspensions if MLB can get creative enough and consider past denials of accusations a 1st time offense. This is going to get tricky, and messy.

For Peralta, he has been linked to Biogenesis but denies any involvement, saying that anyone suggesting otherwise “is lying”. I sure hope he’s right. Suspensions will probably be handed down in a few weeks, maybe sooner, maybe a bit later.

I suppose any good news that could come from this is that an immediate suspension would mean Peralta has plenty of time to get back for the playoffs. The bad news is several:

1. It would interrupt a brilliant turnaround season by Jhonny, who is hitting .338 with 6 homers and 26 RBI’s heading into Wednesday night’s game v. Tampa,
2. Detroit would be left in a total bind, having to fill a 50-game vacancy via a very uncomfortable and completely unknown solution,
3. And probably most importantly, it would mean that Jhonny was cheating. And nobody wants to hear that about a guy with an impeccable reputation.

For now we have the luxury of assuming Peralta’s innocence yet the burden of fearing his guilt. Even during an offseason, filling a void at shortstop is a difficult task. In season, it is nearly impossible to do so with effectiveness.

Yank Peralta’s hot bat from the bottom half of Detroit’s order and with the continued struggles of Avila it might start to look a lot like last year’s bottom-half black hole.

I do feel that the Tigers can survive the Valverde experiment and Avila’s struggles and still make the playoffs. But how many wins would losing Peralta cost the Tigers? That’s difficult to say but the margin of error would shrink just that much more.

Jhonny be good.

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To these fans I say ‘enough already’. Who exactly is it that you’d rather have managing the Tigers again? This organization and city deserve a reputable, experienced, and proven manager. Somebody like, say, Jim Leyland!

Love him or hate him. No, just love him already.

The Tigers have been to the playoffs each of the past two years and made deep runs both times. They are currently an uninspiring 30-25, which is still good for 1st place in the feeble AL Central, but plenty bad enough to get fans all in a tizzy.

Here is a top 5 of sorts as to why fans that hate Leyland, hate him:

1. Every time he puts in Jose Valverde
2. Every time Don Kelly is batting in a key spot
3. Anytime he takes a starter out and the bullpen blows the game
4. Anytime he leaves a starter in ‘too long’ and he loses it
5. Basically, anytime the Tigers lose

Should Alex Avila be bunting with men on 1st and 2nd with no outs? His bunt double-play was arguably the wheel that set the Tigers’ Sunday loss in motion. Maybe Leyland should give Brayan Pena more playing time. Maybe he should’ve let somebody pinch-hit for Avila. Maybe Avila shouldn’t be in the major leagues right now. These aren’t easy decisions until you’ve seen the result play out.

Should he have left Max Scherzer in after 119 pitches on Friday night to close out the win? Some fans say yes. These same fans must have forgotten about his arm issues at the end of last year that nearly shut him down for the playoffs.

Should he have put Valverde in on Friday night? He was 5 for 6 in save chances with a 0.75 ERA prior to that. He is the closer that GM Dave Dombrowski signed and told Leyland to use after fumbling that decision in the offseason. The Tigers had a 2-run lead at the time. What choice did he really have there?

Should Don Kelly ever pinch-hit for Avisail Garcia like he did in the 8th inning on Sunday? Well, if ever, it would be against side-arming righty Darren O’Day. Leyland pulled that trigger and shot a blank.

The long-time manager knows very well the seat that he sits in as the guy calling the shots for this city’s baseball team. Don’t you think he’s learned a thing or two about game management in 3,390 career ballgames? Wouldn’t 73 playoff games worth of decision-making give him a little better resume than the irritable beer-drinker chirping from his couch?

The thing that most often seems lost on Tigers fans is that all 162 games of the season have to be played. You can’t sprint for 130 of them and then call it good.

How many other teams have had all 5 starting pitchers make all of that team’s starts for the season up until now? The answer is one; the Atlanta Braves, also in 1st place. I think the guy knows how to manage a pitching staff and their individual workloads.

Detroit’s offense is hitting .279 as a collective group this year. Who is better across all of baseball? Nobody. The Tigers have scored the 3rd most runs of any team. So stop nitpicking the lineups and by all means stop ragging on Lloyd McClendon. He has done a fine job with guys like Austin Jackson and Jhonny Peralta. It’s hard to fix a confidence problem though (see Alex Avila).

Perhaps if fans did stop pissing and moaning it wouldn’t be as fun, or there would be less to write about. Maybe this is good for baseball and good for keeping the patrons interested in the product on the field. But I’ll tell you what wouldn’t be good and that’s ushering Jim Leyland out of town.

Sometimes you don’t know how good you have it until it’s long gone.

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The embattled closer who somehow made it look fairly easy in his first 6 save opportunities of the season (1 blown save, 0.75 ERA) entered Friday night’s game with a 5-3 lead. By the time he left he had given up four hits and two homers, including the game-winning three run blast by reserve outfielder Chris Dickerson. Manager Jim Leyland was visibly, and understandably, perturbed at the unnecessary loss.

[Hey Tigers fans, Jim Leyland is good, deal with it!]

Jose Valverde

Valverde’s ERA ballooned to 3.55 with the meltdown and he cost Max Scherzer a chance to move to 8-0 on the season. Scherzer set down the last 16 batters he faced against a potent Orioles lineup. He deserved better. The Tigers deserve better.

The Big Potato has turned stressing out all onlookers into a true art form. Last night the strain was more than he could bear. How long will the Tigers put up with him? He is 5 for 7 in save chances. That’s a small sampling but prorate that out a bit and he might be 25 for 35 by season’s end, which is entirely realistic and even more unacceptable.

Detroit doesn’t have an internal option to comfortably move into the closer’s role, although Joaquin Benoit has to be the closest thing to it. His 1.88 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 29:8 K to walk ratio is stellar, numbers becoming of any good MLB closer. The problem with elevating him to the 9th inning is it critically shortens up the late inning options for Leyland. Al Alburquerque and Brayan Villarreal’s lack of command and dual demotions can be pointed out as cause for blame as to why Benoit simply can’t be moved from the setup gig.

Detroit needs a 9th inning man that can be trusted implicitly. Valverde might be good enough to get the Tigers to the playoffs in this division, but we all know he isn’t the guy. Don’t think for one second that this fact is lost on the Tigers either.

The Tigers probably can’t trust future closer Bruce Rondon at any point this season based on how he looked in spring and during his brief call-up earlier in the year. Even so, Rondon has dominated AAA hitting this year allowing just 9 hits in 19.2 innings of work. He has a 0.46 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and a 22:7 K to walk ratio to support his 10 saves. If only he could translate that to the big leagues like Detroit had hoped. Maybe next year?

Or maybe Detroit says, ‘Hey, it can’t get any less comfortable than running Valverde out there’ and they give him a shot in the coming weeks. Stranger things have happened but the more likely culmination of this mess will come in July when the Tigers trade for a relief arm better suited for a 9th inning role on a playoff team.

Some fans will ask the why not now question. The main reason why Detroit can’t pull the trigger on such a trade here in early June is simply because most teams are still trying to figure out if they are true contenders or merely fooling themselves. Once the dust has settled and rank and order has been by and large determined, then GM Dave Dombrowski can go into attack mode on the trade market as he so often does.

In the meantime, Twitter will be ablaze with Valverde haters with each hit surrendered, run allowed, and game blown. Try to keep in mind though that this isn’t the main course, this is barely the appetizer.

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If only Justin Masterson could pitch every day

So is this 2011 all over again? Will Cleveland’s hot start sputter and stall once more as the Tigers overwhelm the rest of the pack with their superior roster and lofty payroll?

Let’s go team-by-team to see how this thing is going to shake down come late September. We’ll do this in alphabetical order:

Chicago White Sox

They seem to be missing just enough in every key area to not be a true contender this year. Their offense lacks excitement and elite firepower. Paul Konerko can only do so much. He will need big time seasons from all four of Alex Rios, Alexei Ramirez, Adam Dunn, and Dayan Viciedo to give this team a shot. The odds of that happening are mighty slim.

On the mound the Sox have as good of a 1-2 punch as most teams in baseball with Chris Sale and Jake Peavy. However, the season-ending injury to Gavin Floyd seriously depleted the depth of this rotation. In the end the Sox will simply not have enough juice and will finish 4th in this division.

Cleveland Indians

What a difference a Terry Francona can make. He is firmly entrenched in the top-tier of managers in the game and has the Tribe believing that they can push the Tigers to the brink. Oh, and adding Michael Bourn, Mark Reynolds, Nick Swisher, and Drew Stubbs to the lineup has already paid huge dividends. Only one team has plated more than the 238 runs Cleveland has put on the board and that’s Detroit with 245. With Michael Brantley and Carlos Santana coming into their own and Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis forming a nice middle infield combo with offensive pop, the Indians are going to be able to hit with anyone this year.

But can they get enough outs? Justin Masterson is having a huge season, but can it continue? Probably not at his current pace. Zach McAllister is pitching above his head. And then you have the rest of the group that includes the inevitably disappointing Ubaldo Jimenez alongside Corey Kluber and Scott Kazmir.

Fortunately, Francona has a very good bullpen, especially with Vinnie Pestano back in the mix. This shortens up the obligations on the starting rotation but in the end, it will be the 5-man rotation that keeps Cleveland from winning the division. Despite all of the mojo and chemistry, they will finish 2nd and have to duke it out for a Wild Card. Give Francona two more elite arms at the deadline though?

Miguel Cabrera just keeps on hitting

Detroit Tigers

All business, all the time. That’s your 2013 Detroit Tigers. In fact, they are so business oriented that their silly routine after a big hit is when they pretend to adjust their non-existent tie. Offensively, you have Miguel Cabrera on pace to break some major records, including most RBI’s in a season. Pair him up with Prince Fielder and they are challenging Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig’s all-time mark for a duo. The true beauty for Jim Leyland’s offense so far has been the resurgence of Jhonny Peralta (.323 avg.) and the professional hitting of Omar Infante (.323). Together, these two have shored up the bottom of the order that was so weak a season ago. Once Victor Martinez is all the way back and Austin Jackson is healthy the Tigers will have no alternative but to continue their assault on opposing pitching.

[Detroit Tigers talk: Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander]

So far, Jose Valverde has a 0.82 ERA and has saved five of his six opportunities. He may not be elite but he’ll do just fine in his back-end support role of one of the league’s best pitching staffs. When people are grumbling more about Justin Verlander than they are about Rick Porcello, you know things are going to be ok. And yes, Verlander will be just fine. Max Scherzer might be the most dynamic of the bunch though and having Anibal Sanchez at the top of his game with the steady Doug Fister means that you can start planning for how to afford those playoff tickets. Sorry, Cleveland, Detroit is still the lead cat.

Kansas City Royals

Oh how I wish this team could get it together. I love how they have constructed their roster but the simple fact is that two guys that they were counting on for major contributions both this year and last have fallen well short of expectations. Mike Moustakas (.174 avg.) and Eric Hosmer (.270 avg. 1 HR) need to figure it out fast. With Alex Gordon and Billy Butler anchoring the offense and up-and-comers Lorenzo Cain and Salvador Perez tearing the cover off the ball, this team is literally Moustakas and Hosmer away from competing. And it’s not going to happen this year for the two youngsters.

James Shields has been as good as advertised in the rotation and Ervin Santana and Jeremy Guthrie are exceeding their projections. If that continues and the offense can somehow get hot as a group for long stretches of the season then this team can push Cleveland for 2nd place. I just don’t believe in the total offensive product enough. KC finishes 3rd.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins stink. We knew this going in and they have not disappointed. It’s not their offense, which has some nice pieces in the middle of that order. It’s the pitching. Minnesota’s starting rotation has combined for a 5.67 ERA on the season, worst in the AL. Until they can get some of those young arms that they acquired in the offseason ready to roll Ron Gardenhire’s team will continue to give up runs in bunches and finish dead last in this division.

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Joe White talks Detroit Tigers with Jack Ebling on the Drive with Jack on The Game 730 AM. The topics discussed are Miguel Cabrera’s prodigious season and what’s wrong with Justin Verlander.

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Avisail Garcia is back

The Tigers are still a solid 20-15, tied for 1st place, and should stay in prime position all season long to capture the AL Central yet again. The season is just more than 1/5th complete so despite my complete lack of worry, it’s time to take a look at the current state of the Tigers.

• Austin Jackson hits the 15-day DL today with hamstring issues. He has slumped badly of late and hopefully will come off of the DL in good shape and hitting well. He is the ignition to the Tigers’ offense and can’t stay away long.
• In his absence, the Tigers have called up Avisail Garcia, and I for one am excited to see him get regular at-bats. During his rehab assignment from a heel issue at high-A Lakeland and his work at AAA Toledo, he has hit a combined .426 with a double, two triples, and two homers in 66 at-bats. This guy has all of the tools.
• Jose Valverde is the same guy we saw last year. He throws fastballs on nearly every single pitch, and his velocity that was reported to be 95-96 during his pre call-up stint in Florida, has translated to 92-93 in Detroit. It is still straight and uninspiring. My hunch is that he will be good enough to aid the Tigers’ quest for another playoff appearance but he just isn’t the guy this club needs come cold, and very important, October baseball games.
• While Andy Dirks has heated up at the plate he has officially left Victor Martinez and Alex Avila in his wake. Dirks has three homers now and has pumped his average up to .239 with his recent hot streak. VMart sits at .212 and Avila .198. Martinez looked lost against Cleveland and Avila continues to irritate. The difference is that Martinez’s track record speaks volumes about his ability to get it going. Sadly, this may just be who the real Alex Avila is.
• Consider that in his three full seasons of big league action Avila has hit .228, .295, and .243. This year he’s at .198. Can anyone find the outlier? Let’s stop with the expectations here.
• Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder have already combined for 73 RBI’s. Their on-base %’s are .452 and .417 respectively. Nasty stuff.
• Ramon Santiago has 26 at-bats so far this year and has four hits and zero RBI’s to show for it. Talk about a complete waste of a roster spot.
• I actually like Detroit’s bullpen right now, with the exception of the big fella who only has one pitch. Jose Ortega adds versatility and depth. Drew Smyly (1.93 ERA) and Joaquin Benoit (1.59) have been tremendous.
• The K’s/9 from the bullpen members are insane. Ortega (12.46), Benoit (11.65), Smyly (9.26), Darin Downs (11.21), Al Alburquerque (16.07) and Phil Coke (9.31). Jose Valverde is bringing up the rear at 7.50.
• Detroit’s starters have a collective ERA of 3.45, which ranks 3rd in the AL. There is literally nothing to worry about here.

Yes, it stings to lose back-to-back home games to the Tribe by one run apiece and 4 of the last 5 overall, but the end goal is well within reach for this team. Try to enjoy the ride.

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Which team do you think has been the most surprising in the American League to start the year? Which team would you think has been the most disappointing? I can give you a clue on who are my lead teams for both categories.

After a month of baseball not much has changed for a few teams in the American League from where they left off last season. In the AL Central the division leading Detroit Tigers have shown the country why they are responsible for the past two MVP’S to come out of the American League. And now this year the Tigers are shooting for a MVP hat-trick with the way Prince Fielder has been on a tear to begin the season. In the AL West the Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics are still battling it out for the division lead. The only difference this year is after a month into the season the A’s only have to make up a few games to take the first place spot from the Rangers, whereas last year there was only a month left to the season and the A’s had to make up 6 games to take the title; a task that was accomplished by the pesky boys in green from the Bay area.

But like to the beginning of every professional sports season, there are always your teams who have the biggest surprising starts/ biggest disappointing starts to the season. Here are mine from the American League:

Surprising Starts

Kansas City Royals (16-10) 2nd in A.L. Central- I think I speak for all Royals’ fans when I say the word “FINALLY.” After drafting in the top ten for at least the past 8 seasons, the Royals organization have finally put some starting pitching together to go with the great young nucleus they have on the field and their everyday players. The Royals have always been known for their superb defense, but with their team batting average improving to a solid .270 on the season which is 4th among all active teams, and their team ERA being 3.36 which also ranks 4th among active teams, the Royals find themselves with the best start they’ve had since 2003, which was the last time they finished .500 or over.

Boston Red Sox (20-10) 1st in A.L. East- Having the Red Sox as one of my most surprising teams to begin the 2013 has to be, well, a surprise to everyone. But after finishing the season in last place in their division with an embarrassing record of 69-93, I really don’t have to explain much further why they are on this list. The keys for Boston’s early success has been due to their consistent hitting and dominating pitching led by Clay Bucholz who is pitching like an early CY Young candidate with a league leading 6-0 record and also a league leading 1.01 ERA. After the tragic Boston Marathon incident I think its safe to say that even if they’re not your home team its nice to see the Red Sox give the people of Boston something to cheer about. Stay Boston Strong!

New York Yankees (18-11) 2nd in A.L. East- Let’s be honest here, to see Boston and New York on my list of early surprises to the 2013 season is somewhat mind boggling to some of you as it is to me. But with all the injuries the Yankees have had to overcome this season and to still be in contention for the division lead a month into the season is pretty impressive to say the least. Thanks to the emergence from pitcher Hiroki Kuroda becoming a great compliment to the Yankee ace C.C. Sabathia, and Robinson Cano deciding to put-the-team-on-his-back; leading the Yankees in all major batting categories (batting average, home runs, RBI’s, and runs scored), the Yankees find themselves battling it out with their hated rivals the Red Sox for the first place spot in the A.L. East. Oh by the way, this is without all-stars Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, and Curtis Granderson all yet to play a game this season due to injuries.

Disappointing Starts

A team’s payroll plus their win/loss record is the formula that I used to determine the ball clubs that I believe have had a disappointing start to their 2013 season.

Toronto Blue Jays (10-21) last in A.L. East- The Blue Jays come into this 2013 season with the 10th highest payroll in MLB sitting at 118.24 million. With all the major moves the Toronto Blue Jays made this offseason acquiring Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Melky Cabrera, and 2012 NL CY Young winner R.A. Dickey via trades and free agency, you can understand why the fans in Toronto were optimistic to seeing playoff baseball being played across the border for the first time since the 90′s. But with early injuries to Jose Reyes and Josh Johnson and an offense that ranks 25th in runs scored and 29th in batting average, the Blue Jays find themselves in familiar territory a month into the season; which is last place in the division. This team needs to turn it around soon or they’ll be more major changes to come for Canada’s team.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim- (11-19) 4th place in A.L. West-  The Angels come into this 2013 season with the 7th highest payroll in MLB sitting at 142.17 million. The Angels probably rank number one to majority of the analysts when it comes down to teams with the most disappointing start to their season. With adding a key acquisition like Josh Hamilton to a lineup that already was highlighted by Albert Pujols and last years MVP runner up Mike Trout, you probably expected this Angel team to knock-out starting pitchers early in the game with their power hitting baseball. But it’s been everything but that, as the big three have combined for a .238 batting average with 11 home runs and 80 strikeouts to start the year. The Angels are lucky the Houston Astros joined the A.L. West this season or else they would be sitting dead last in the division.

That does it for the American League, make sure to tune in tomorrow to read about my first month review of the National League.

And then came 2012, the season in which Avila looked like a broken down old truck. He battled aches and pains all season, hobbled about the diamond, took shot after shot behind the dish, and was generally of little value to the club. Giving way to backup Gerald Laird more often than expected Avila suited up just 116 times a season ago while hitting .243 with 9 homers, 48 RBI’s, and a .384 slugging %.

Alex Avila doesn’t do this nearly enough

Surely the injuries were the culprit. No question Avila would return to form in 2013. Detroit was confident enough that they let Laird walk via free agency and signed up Brayan Pena to take some of the at-bats against lefty starters. The debate wasn’t so much over whether Avila would be back, but to what degree.

And….thud.

Avila is hitting .176 with his lone highlights being two solo homers, representing both of his RBI’s on the year. He has walked just 5 times (an area he usually excels) and has K’d 21 times in just 68 at-bats, providing plenty of data to back up his horrid .233 on-base % and .265 slugging %.

Few players miss meaty fastballs in the zone at the rate that Avila has over the last 7 or 8 months of real baseball. So far in 2013 Alex is experiencing new lows in walk rate and batting average on balls in play while striking out more than ever. These aren’t the signs of a guy on the brink of busting loose.

Some analysts suggest that Avila is too passive while he’s in the batter’s box. The numbers suggest otherwise. Avila is hacking at 44.3% of the pitches he sees, which is his highest rate since 2010. He is actually making contact at a similar rate to the rest of his career both on pitches inside and outside of the strike zone per Fangraphs.com. The bottom line is that Avila is having a very difficult time barreling up the baseball.

The fact that this has been his issue for more than a full season of play now is of legitimate concern. The Tigers don’t necessarily need Avila to hit to be successful as a team. They made the playoffs in 2012 without significant contribution from him. But it sure would be nice to have everyone not only RSVP’ing to the party, but boogying down on the dance floor too.

Jhonny Peralta has seemingly bounced back from a rough 2012. Omar Infante has given the Tigers their most prolific 9th hole hitter in recent memory, if ever, with his scorching hot start. Andy Dirks has battled a knee injury but homered and laid down a beautiful bunt single to trigger the Tigers’ key rally in Monday night’s win after taking a few days off to get healthy.

The only one still operating in ghost mode is Avila. Detroit’s unwavering faith in Alex’s ability gave them the gumption to trade away Rob Brantly last summer in the Anibal Sanchez/Infante deal and they let fast-riser Curt Casali go this spring in the Kyle Lobstein deal.

Some reassurance is being provided by 2011 2nd round pick James McCann who is hitting .342 in the early going at AA Erie after a dismal 2012 with the stick. He hasn’t shown any power yet though with just 3 homers over parts of 3 seasons in the system.

For now, and for lack of any viable alternative, Avila is the guy and needs to start playing like it before he Boesch’s himself out of favor with the organization, no matter how closely tied in he is.

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With a full slate of games this week against the Twins at home and a 4-game road set v. the Astros, the Tigers could get even healthier in the win-loss column.

Anibal Sanchez

Most Important Outcome of the Week

Sweeping the Braves. Yes, the Braves were on the tail end of a long road swing. Yes, the Braves strike out like nobody’s business. And yes, the Braves are a really good National League team. When the Braves landed in Detroit they were sporting a robust 15-7 record. Not anymore. Tigers pitching struck out Atlanta hitters 39 times during the 3-games stretch and Detroit’s offense erupted all over a very good pitching staff by plating 25 runs. Paul Maholm, Kris Medlen, and Mike Minor haven’t been roughed up like that in a long time. The sweep will give Detroit confidence that it can rise up and dominate some elite competition.

Offensive Player of the Week

Miguel Cabrera was 9 of 20 on the week with a homer, 5 runs, and 8 RBI’s. He raised his season long average to .375 and his on-base % sits at .440. Cabrera is tied for 2nd in the American League in batting average with teammate Torii Hunter, trailing only Cleveland’s Carlos Santana. Honorable mention goes to Matt Tuiasosopo. He played all 3 games of the Atlanta series and was 4 for 10 with his first homer of the year. He had a 5 RBI game on Friday.

Starting Pitcher of the Week

Anibal Sanchez pitched one of the most dominant games in Detroit Tigers history Friday night by striking out a club record 17 batters over 8 shutout innings. Sanchez edged out Mickey Lolich who had K’d 16 hitters twice during the 1969 season. Being able to break an all-time Tigers’ single-game record of any kind is truly impressive. Any doubts as to whether Sanchez was worth the 5-year, $80M contract have been permanently erased. Anibal is now 3-1 on the season with a 1.34 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 41 K’s in just 33.2 innings of work.

Reliever of the Week

How could it be anyone other than Jose Valverde? The big fella pitched 3 scoreless innings in his triumphant return to the organization that let him walk after his 2012 postseason implosion. So far Valverde has pitched in good weather once and bad weather twice. Both of his bad weather stints were all fastballs all the time. He did bust out a few splitters on Saturday against the Braves. One short-hopped Alex Avila and bounded to the backstop. The other was a sharp breaker in and out of the zone. So he can throw it, at least when conditions so allow. But will Mother Nature be so friendly come October when the Tigers need him to miss bats? It does bear mentioning that 3 of the 9 outs he recorded this past week were warning track depth flyouts. Don’t get too comfy on that couch is what I’m trying to say.

Alex Avila

Must Know Fact

Since the start of the 2008 season the Tigers have finished with a +.500 record on the road just one time, during their 95-win season in 2011. That’s 4 out of 5 seasons in which they are a subpar team away from Detroit. They are showing a similar trend early on in 2013. If this team figures one thing out in the near future it has to be the ability to hit with consistency on the road.

Unnecessarily Bold Prediction of the Week

The Tigers will go 7-0 this week, outscoring the Twins and Astros by a combined 25 runs.

Minor League Noise

Bruce Rondon got the call this past week due to Octavio Dotel needing some rest and rehab on his elbow. Rondon pitched on Thursday and gave up a run that tied the game. Detroit eventually lost in extras. He did average 98 MPH+ on his fastball during the outing.

Nick Castellanos is perking up in Toledo. He homered in 3 of 4 games during the week but is still hitting just .253 overall as he finished the week going 1 for 8 in his last 2 starts.

AAA reliever Jose Ortega still hasn’t been scored on. In 12 innings he has allowed just 5 hits, but 7 walks that he has mitigated with 15 strikeouts. He’s on the short list.

Avisail Garcia (injury) should be back in the Toledo lineup sometime this week.

On Tap

The Tigers get right back to it on Monday with a 3-game series against the Twins. They will finally be blessed with some beautiful Michigan weather. Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Sanchez will go for the Tigers. After that it’s a 4-game tilt with the lowly Astros. If Detroit can’t hit in Houston, then we really do have a problem.

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As a rookie he smoked line drives all over the field on his way to a .293 average. He did this even though he struck out 170 times. His strong offensive season was fueled by a .396 batting average on balls in play (BABIP).

Austin Jackson

In his 2nd season Jackson toiled most of the year as his strikeout rate increased to 27.1% of his at-bats and he was a little less lucky in the BABIP department (although still above league average) with a .340 mark. Jackson K’d 181 times in 2011 at the top of the Tigers’ lineup, hit just .249, and caused unrest among fans and concern on the part of management.

Changes were imminent with Jackson’s approach but the results are never a given in his line of work. He busted his tail during the 2011-12 offseason with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon on reducing his exaggerated leg kick, which was supposed to serve as a useful timing mechanism, but instead turned into a major glitch in his mechanics.

Jackson then came into the 2012 season and started raking like it was his rookie season all over again but with increased power production and dramatically improved plate discipline. In 2012 his walk rate ballooned to 10.9% while his strikeout rate dipped all the way down to 21.7%. His BABIP remained a healthy .371.

In fact, a season ago, Jackson set career highs in average (.300), homers (16), RBI’s (66), walks (67), on-base % (.377), slugging (.479), and OPS (.856). He also K’d just 134 times. And don’t forget that he does all of this while turning out top-shelf defense every time he takes the field.

Entering 2013, there were still questions as to which player he was. Was 2012 a lucky run like his rookie year or did the shorter stride in the batter’s box really do the trick? Yeah, it did the trick. Jackson spent last season practicing the new approach and getting comfortable with it. Now he is mastering it.

Twice last night during Detroit’s 6-2 win over Seattle the Tigers’ leadoff man found himself down 0-2 in the count. In the first inning he battled Aaron Harang back to a full count before ripping a triple to the right-centerfield gap. Then in the top of the 8th with Detroit clinging to a 4-2 lead and thoughts of bullpen implosion on everyone’s mind, Jackson stepped to the dish against quirky left-hander Bobby LaFromboise with the bases loaded and two outs.

Jackson again found himself down in the count 0-2. He fought back to a full count once more before drawing a walk to bring home a run. These are the exact at-bats that Jackson could not excel in during his first two years in the league. His high leg kick cost him the ability to fight off tough pitches and stay alive in the count until he could catch a mistake by the pitcher. Two years ago both of these at-bats would have ended in strikeouts. Last night – a triple and a bases loaded walk.

Sometime you just have to admire the product and admit that what you are seeing isn’t a star in the making anymore, it’s an actual star.

So far in 2013 Jackson has spearheaded a lethal Tigers’ attack by hitting .393 through 61 at-bats. His on-base % currently sits at .448. But most impressive of all is his walk to strikeout ratio which is currently 6 to 5. Project that out over 600 at-bats and we’re talking about approximately 50 strikeouts.

I don’t expect him to finish with numbers that staggering but to keep his K’s under triple digits would be a major victory and he is certainly on pace to pull it off. On Sunday night I wrote about how Jackson might be a top 5 finisher in AL MVP voting this year. Would you really bet against him?

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Below I will categorize a variety of things while giving my opinion as to what’s what 12 games into the 2013 season.

Most Important Outcome of the Week

Prince Fielder

Beating Oakland 2 out of 3 on the road. The Tigers need to play well on the road this season and to go into Oakland, a place where they have struggled at times, and completely wipe out two outstanding pitchers on Saturday and Sunday for the series win was very impressive. The A’s were 8-2 and riding high before the Tigers came to town and knocked them back down to size.

Offensive Player of the Week

This won’t just be for the Tigers as Prince Fielder will easily win MLB offensive player of the week. The big fella is hitting .427 with a .527 on-base % through 12 games with 4 homers and 19 RBI’s. Against Toronto and Oakland this week he was 12 for 19 (.632) with two homers, four doubles, and 11 RBI’s. Fielder’s dominance has rounded out a ridiculously productive top four in Jim Leyland’s lineup. Austin Jackson is hitting .386, Torii Hunter .407, and Miguel Cabrera .320. Once Victor Martinez starts finding holes in the defense things will get really ugly for the opposition.

Starting Pitcher of the Week

Anibal Sanchez won the opener against Toronto and the series finale in Oakland to go 2-0 on the week. He allowed 3 earned runs on just 8 hits and 5 walks through 14 innings of work while striking out 16. After a wobbly spring fans weren’t sure what to expect from the 5-year/$80M man. His 1.42 ERA after his first three starts has quieted all doubts.

Reliever of the Week

After getting beat around a bit in week 1, Phil Coke turned in 1.2 scoreless innings in week 2 with three K’s and no walks while allowing just one hit. Leyland has handed the 9th innings keys to Joaquin Benoit for the most part but Coke will still see big innings late in games. A productive Coke is a very good thing for the overall health of the Tigers’ pen.

Unnecessarily Bold Prediction of the Week

Three Tigers will finish in the top five of the AL MVP voting. Cabrera and Fielder are the givens. The wild card is Jackson. He looks so comfortable at the plate right now that it’s fun to project what he might be able to pull off over the course of the season. I have little doubt he will lead the league in runs with 130 or more. His 17 are already three ahead of the now injured Coco Crisp. His 22 hits are tied for the MLB’s best with teammate Torii Hunter. If Jackson can hit .320 (which is optimistic) with 15 homers, 130 runs, and find a way to steal 20+ bases while earning his first Gold Glove in centerfield it will be awfully tough for voters to ignore.

Austin Jackson

Minor League Noise

With the early season struggles of Brayan Villarreal there could be some roster turnover coming soon at his expense. Three relievers who are basically major league ready are Luke Putkonen, Jose Ortega, and Bruce Rondon. The trio has combined to allow zero runs in 17.2 innings for the Mud Hens. Rondon has 3 K’s and 2 walks through 4 innings thus far, allowing just 1 hit. Putkonen has walked 4 in 7 innings but has struck out 6 and allowed just 5 hits. Ortega has allowed 3 hits and 2 walks in 6.2 innings while striking out 6. It won’t be long and the smart money is on Putkonen getting the first look but keep in mind that Leyland really likes Ortega.

Meanwhile, Casey Crosby has been torched for 7 runs on 7 hits and 8 ghastly walks in just 7 innings so far, covering 2 starts.

Nick Castellanos is off to a .267 start for Toledo with 3 doubles, a triple and 3 RBI’s. Teammate Jordan Lennerton (1B) is off to a hot start, hitting .333 with a homer and 6 RBI’s. If the Tigers need a bat at any point in the early part of the season, Lennerton could get the nod.

On Tap

The Tigers rest on Monday before a 3-game set at Seattle and then 3 more at the Angels. Fister will get the ball twice this week. With 3 games starting after 10 eastern time I recommend sneaking in a few afternoon naps as both of these series’ should be entertaining.

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Jose Valverde

Questions that have already arisen from a fairly insignificant series in early April include:

• Will the Tigers stink on the road again, thus preventing them from pulling away from the rest of the AL Central pack as their payroll suggests they should?
• Is the ‘closer by committee’ already being adjudicated as a failure?
• Is the writing on the wall via the signing of Jose Valverde that he will be this team’s closer before long?
• Why can’t the back end of the lineup hit?

First off, I suggest you breathe. Three games in April does not define the course of a season. This team’s ultimate destination is a playoff appearance via another AL Central crown.

But that doesn’t make what we just saw any more acceptable. To me, the problems of the Tigers both last year and through 1.9% of this season are that there is no sense of urgency. What do I mean by that?

Simple. Pitchers are pitching for October, not April. Hitters are pacing themselves, knowing what lies ahead. Jim Leyland is managing for 162 games, not three.

This can be unbearably frustrating to watch at times. Think of two of the Tigers’ playoff opponents last year – the A’s and Giants. Both teams perhaps achieved more than anyone thought they should have. To me, the reason why was because they played like their hair was on fire. They had places to go and doubters to disprove.

The Tigers simply do not operate this way. Should they? Yes, to some degree. Why must Rick Porcello tickle the mid 90’s in spring while fighting for his job only to average 91 MPH on the pitch during his first regular season start? Has he already relaxed?

Phil Coke is notorious for his struggles against right-handed hitters. What allowed him to overcome some of that during a dynamic run last October was that he ramped up his fastball to 95-96 MPH. in his two appearances so far this year it has been more like 90 MPH. That’s a huge difference and exactly why two weak-hitting righties got to him on Wednesday when he blew the save.

Detroit doesn’t have that one dynamic personality that they can call upon to fire the team up. The few that they’ve had in recent years have been Coke and Valverde, who are on the field for maybe one inning per game. Indeed, the Tigers trot out a bunch of businessmen.

This is something that isn’t likely to change anytime soon considering the current makeup of this team. So my best advice to all Tigers fans is to take it for what it’s worth, which is almost certainly a playoff team, and try to enjoy the ride that comes along with it.

159 games to go.

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• 

  A frozen Prince Fielder can still hit

  The Tigers looked cold. I was half expecting Prince Fielder to come out for his 2nd at-bat in a full-on snowmobile suit.

• The Tigers nabbed a 4-2 win, on the road. Yes, it was against the Twins who are going to have all kinds of trouble winning games this year but Detroit was just 38-43 away from Comerica Park last year, which was what ultimately prevented them from running away with the division. Any and all road wins are good. Take none of them for granted.
• Justin Verlander looked good on a day where it had to be really tough to get a feel for his breaking stuff. After five shutout innings and 91 pitches, Jim Leyland elected to pull JV. Verlander gave up 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. The short leash proved to be enough to get Justin his 1st win of the year, but not his 1st quality start. A starting pitcher must complete six innings to earn that distinction.
• Leyland’s quick hook also turned a game that was on cruise control into a drawn-out, drama-filled affair thanks mostly to Drew Smyly’s performance.
• Smyly gave up 3 hits and 3 walks in just 1.1 innings in his new role as reliever. I’m sure he is disappointed to be working out of the pen but it is a role he must embrace. If he pitches this poorly for more than a few weeks then things won’t end well for him. I don’t expect that to be the case though.
• Ultimately, Smyly gave way to Al Alburquerque with the bases juiced and one out in the 7th. He gave up a single on his first pitch to Ryan Doumit that allowed one of the inherited runners to score. He then struck out the next two batters to end the inning. His fastball had great movement. His usually wicked slider was lumpy, probably due to the temps and not being able to get a good grip.
• Joaquin Benoit then locked down the next 4 outs. Leyland elected to use him for more than just one inning, which shows me that he is willing to step outside of his comfort zone to manage the nuances of his new ‘closer by committee’ situation.
• And, as expected, Phil Coke got the last 2 outs to earn the team’s first save of the year. He struck out Justin Morneau and induced a Doumit fly out to right. If Coke takes this job and runs with it then Leyland will be one happy man. However, his appearance yesterday was largely matchup driven, which will be the early season norm. Had a stream of righties been due up it would have been Benoit or Dotel in the 9th and Coke in the 8th. The lefty Morneau and switch-hitting Doumit made a lot of sense for Coke to be the one that was called upon.
• As a staff, Tigers pitchers posted 12 strikeouts yesterday, which marks the most K’s by the club on Opening Day since at least 1916.
• Verlander now has 125 wins in 233 career games, which ties him with Tom Seaver & Mike Mussina for 6th-most through 233 games since at least 1916.
• The Tigers got 2 hits apiece from Torii Hunter, Fielder, Jhonny Peralta, and Omar Infante. Austin Jackson and Miguel Cabrera combined to go 1 for 10. Offensive production out of the middle infield will be a quiet key to Detroit’s season. So far, so good.
• My prediction is that yesterday’s win was the 1st of 95 from this year’s version of the Tigers.
• For game 2 of the series tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny and 52 in Minneapolis with Anibal Sanchez taking on Kevin Correia. First pitch is once again set for 4:10 eastern.

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