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One Detroit Tigers starting pitcher took an interesting detour on his way to the MLB playoffs
Onetime Fort Worth (TX) Cats (American Association) fireballer Max Scherzer appears to have the most prominent role among former Independent players who will be in major league baseball’s high octane Octoberfest, but he will not stand along.
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Closer Jose Valverde and starter Justin Verlander obviously anchor the pitching staff in Detroit. The former has forty save opportunities in the same amount of chances. The latter has garnered his twenty-first victory already with almost a month left. Valverde’s numbers are a little misleading because his whip is near one and a third. This would usually dictate a few blown saves, but he has been the master in working his way out of jams.
The team buried the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night after coming back from a seven run deficit.
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With the recent incident in Indiana prior to a scheduled Sugarland concert and the Iowa Straw Poll results, news on the Detroit Tigers (or even the AL Central) is not of the utmost importance. With that said, their recent record and level of play have been impressive and cause for excitement from their fan base.
Behind the thirty-five saves of Jose Valverde, the squad has come out victorious in many close games during the month of August. In fact, Detroit has seven wins by a one run margin. This bodes well for their postseason chances when things tighten up and the differential in talent among clubs is more minimal than on a daily basis.
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The Detroit Tigers are a game behind the Cleveland Indians in the loss column, but tied for the AL Central lead. The momentum for the Tigers has been phenomenal lately. The Tigers and the Indians are the only two teams in the division that have won over half their games, but the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox are also approaching their potential lately.
The Kansas City Royals are and will continue to be an afterthought.
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The Detroit Tigers played a three game interleague series last weekend in PNC Park in Pittsburgh. One of baseball’s most breathtaking ballparks has consistently housed one of the worst teams because ownership has refused to spend money over the last decade plus.
The last time that there was a competitive product on the field Jim Leyland was the manager. He took his Detroit Tigers into Pennsylvania looking to make a statement-only to come away limping on Sunday night.
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On Saturday, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander took a perfect game into the 8th inning in Toronto. It didn’t happen, but he did close out the no-hitter, the second of his career. He joins Mark Buerhle of the White Sox and Roy Halladay of the Phillies as the only active MLB pitchers with two. For Tigers fans, it was a nice distraction from how mediocre their season has been thus far.
The Tigers have posted a record of three and three in their last six entering Saturday’s play. The one consistency that they have demonstrated this season is a sense of malaise. Every time that they seem poised to make a run and turn things around, an obstacle inevitably blocks their path to success.
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Much like the Minnesota Twins, the Detroit Tigers are not where they expected to be a little over one week into regular season play. They had the spotlight on them opening day against the Yankees-only to struggle.
Whether it’s April or not, it is totally unacceptable for this team to lose back to back series against the likes of the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals. These two clubs haven’t been relevant this millennium. The Texas Rangers are on the horizon and they look like the best team in the American League right now.
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The Tigers had two things that is the recipe for success on most teams. They had a power-hitter that also hits for average in Miguel Cabrera and the team had an ace in Justin Verlander.
So, what went wrong? Why did the team finish 81-81? Is Miguel Cabrera drinking an alcoholic beverage? These are all questions that need to be addressed.
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