The Detroit Tigers Are Roaring!!!!!

At first, The Tigers jumped out of the gates with a record of 9-3 before
hitting the low point of the season with a record of 26-32 following an
extra-inning loss to The Cincinnati Reds on June 8. The Tigers were too
top-heavy as they put too much of the burden on Cabrera, Fielder, and
reigning AL Most Valuable Player pitcher Justin Verlander. For The
Tigers to succeed, Tigers manager Jim Leyland knew that this had to
change. The Tigers appeared to be sleepwalking while The Cleveland
Indians and Chicago White Sox were battling it out for the lead in The
AL Central Division.

Now The Tigers are 14-4 in the month of July and with an overall record
of 52-44, they are a season-high eight games over .500. Detroit is in
the middle of a critical streak and so far they have been up to the
task. The Tigers are 8-2 since The All-Star Break which has included
series wins over The Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, and a sweep
of The White Sox who were leading The Central until last weekend’s
showdown in Detroit. All three teams are contenders for the postseason
and The Tigers served notice that they are back.

Detroit will now embark on a pivotal 9-game road trip which starts
tonight in Cleveland followed by a series against The Toronto Blue Jays
and Boston Red Sox respectively.

The Tigers now have a one-game lead over The White Sox and a four-game
lead over Cleveland. Part of the team’s revitalization can be attributed
to center fielder Austin Jackson’s return to the lineup. Jackson was
out for three weeks after suffering an abdominal strain and he returned
to The Tigers of June 9 which is when the turnaround began. Jackson is
vital because with a career on-base percentage of .344 it is important
for him to be on base when Fielder and Cabrera step up to the plate.
This season has been the best of Jackson’s brief three-year Major League
Baseball career as he has already tied his career high in home runs
with 10, but it is crucial for him to disrupt opposing pitchers when he
is on base with his ability to steal bases.

For The Tigers pitching staff, they are now getting contributions from
everyone. Starting pitcher Max Scherzer has given The Tigers three
quality starts in his last four outings as his earned run average is now
under 5.00 on the season. Starting pitcher Rick Porcello hasn’t lost a
start since June 20 against The St. Louis Cardinals. In the process
Porcello has lowered his earned run average from 5.21 on May 27 to it
currently sitting at 4.40 which was highlighted by him going eight
innings and giving up one run last Saturday against The White Sox.

Detroit got into the trade market yesterday as they acquired infielder
Omar Infante and starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez from The Miami Marlins
in exchange for pitcher Jacob Turner and two minor leaguers. Infante is a
utility player that returns to Motown as he helped The Tigers reach The
World Series in 2006 while Sanchez can provide depth at the back of the
rotation. The Tigers still could use an upgrade at one of the corner
outfield positions and according to ESPN they have an interest in
Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton. If the price is too
high for Upton or if The Diamondbacks take him off of the market, I
still expect The Tigers to make another move prior to the trade deadline
on July 31.

With Fielder, Verlander, and Cabrera in the prime of their careers, this
in now the time for The Tigers to make that push for The World Series. I
expected this team to cakewalk through their division as it is not one
of the tougher ones in baseball and they have finally woken up. This
Detroit team will only be defined by what they do in the playoffs. With
the possibility of facing The Angels, Rangers, and New York Yankees in
the postseason it won’t be easy, but these Tigers will not go quietly.