http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AhXUJadY46cloRlFToc4jPcRvLYF?slug=dw-tigers082106&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

DETROIT – If the Boston Red Sox are as doornail dead as they appear, then the American League playoff chase is going to boil down to a three-way, two-survivor battle of attrition in the best division in baseball, the American League Central.

And we do mean attrition.

If Boston and New York is a head-to-head feud for the ages, with each game played out before intense fan scrutiny, outrageous hype and national media oversaturation, then this is a completely different kind of grind-it-out push for the playoffs. No single game, no single series even, seems to matter.

Nice find DT. I added the quote.

I'm more worried about the possibility of the Yanks getting home field than the Twinkies/Sox passing us in the standings.

I'm more worried about the possibility of the Yanks getting home field than the Twinkies/Sox passing us in the standings.

Yanks playing the best in the A.L. right now. No bout a doubt it.

Yanks playing the best in the A.L. right now. No bout a doubt it.

Looks like the Tigers have regained their conficdence as it relates to both pitching and hitting. The Yanks will be a test next week in the bronx and right now they appear to be the team to beat. A series win there will really boost the Tigers confidence in maintaining the HF advantage... the last thing we need is for the Yankees to have home field advantage in the playoffs:doh:

Nice couple of outings out of Verlander and Rogers. Two straight wins by Rogers...lets hope he has regained his form down the stretch.

Looks like the Tigers have regained their confidence as it relates to both pitching and hitting.
:whoo:Plus the Twins lost tonight. Sweeeet.

:whoo:Plus the Twins lost tonight. Sweeeet.

That was a nerve-wracking game to say the least. Coulda gone either way. Glad it went ours.

I don't know guys, if there is a chance of a subway series would the Tigers be allowed a fair chance? The Yankee pitching can be had, but those hitters are still grade A.
How does are lineup match up?

How does are lineup match up?

Not well. We've got too many free swingers. The Yankee hitters are not only good hitters, they are patience, too. If the Tiger hitters are more patient, that will bode well. The Yankee pitching staff is nothing to write home about.

Wang is pretty good.

I think we have the most clutch 6,7,8,9 hitters in the league.

Our number nine hitter has 21 homers, so that tells you something about our lineup.
But now, I'm calling for a Tigers sweep of the sox, hopefully Miner has a good outing tonight, while the Tigers try to jump all over Garcia. Then they will send an even bigger statement to the sox.

The Bo-Sox have the best 3, 4 hitters in the league, and it still looks like they won't make the playoffs :laugh:

I hope Pudge keeps swinging the bat hard to make me look good for trading Posada and Freddy Garcia for him.

:)

Our number nine hitter has 21 homers, so that tells you something about our lineup.
But now, I'm calling for a Tigers sweep of the sox, hopefully Miner has a good outing tonight, while the Tigers try to jump all over Garcia. Then they will send an even bigger statement to the sox.


I guess I was wrong about Miner. He only lasted 40 pitches, and didn't even survive 2 innings!

Our number nine hitter has 21 homers, so that tells you something about our lineup.
But now, I'm calling for a Tigers sweep of the sox, hopefully Miner has a good outing tonight, while the Tigers try to jump all over Garcia. Then they will send an even bigger statement to the sox.

On any other night the Tigers 5 runs may have been enough, but giving up 7 or more runs normally lands them in the loss column. After last weekend's outing, they were just hoping to salvage a split, which is what they might get, but taking 3 of 4 would be confidence booster and give them more than enough breathing room in keeping space between the Sox, Twins and Yankees. Unfortunately tonight all of the contenders but the Tigers won, so everybody moved a game closer. :mad:

The Tigs have only given up about 500 runs all year. No one else is close.
The 14 shut-outs are tops also.

I hope Pudge keeps swinging the bat hard to make me look good for trading Posada and Freddy Garcia for him.

:)

I drafted both Pudge and Posada in my league (middle rounds), with the thinking that I'd have 1. good depth incase of injury and 2. good trade bait
but Pudge was stinking up the joint so badly early that I dumped him for a pitcher. :doh:

The Tigers got murdered today 10-0! The Sox put a beating on them and didn't let up. Good thing we got two early wins in the series against them.

Swept the tribe in Cleveland a couple of weekends ago. if ever there was time to do that again it is this weekend before going to the Bronx next week.

I see the Twins moving ahead of the Sox this weekend and inching closer. Prefer that they take two from the Sox; don't need a sweep from either team........ but the Tigers definitely need it.:fingerscr

S.I. did a good art. on Det. pitchers. Bondo and Ver. are both 23. But Bondo has 4 years MLB experience. Teams fear these guys because they are power pitchers and that wins in playoffs. I think it said no one under 25 has won a playoff game in the wildcard era.
Something tells me half our rotation will be gone next year as rich teams try to grab the talent.
Did you see Casey's gaff? Someone robbed him of a double with a pretty diving catch then he hit a liner to short that popped out of the glove but Casey had stopped. By the time he recovered he was thrown out at first.

Tigers lose 4-2, hopefully they get it together... The White Sox and Twins are currently tied 4-4.

IMO anything that happens after this is just a bonus... this team has exceeded anyones expectations.
I'll be ok with it even if they don't make the playoffs (slight chance)... hopefully this young squad will get the needed playoff exposure.
I think they're in the position to acquire the big lefthanded bat in the offseason... I don't know the extent that Illich will go in the FA market... but at minimum they could trade one of their starters (or Maroth)... we have two or three excellent arms in the minors.
This team needs a better fielder in right field than Mags... this guy scares me everytime the ball is hit that way... how many almost catches could someone with good speed/instincts could have caught?
Make Mags your DH with Young.
Will the Yanks just go out and buy our talent? I hate that the league still allows this to happen without a significant penalty... when are they going to adopt a real cap system?
The Tigers will have some of the most requested young talent... how cool is that?
The long drought is finally over.

A big negatory to your first sentence Merc. We didn't come this far to be teased and have our legs cut off.
Maybe Illich will give these guys a fighting chance next year by spending some money. If not the drought starts again next year.

A big negatory to your first sentence Merc. We didn't come this far to be teased and have our legs cut off.
Maybe Illich will give these guys a fighting chance next year by spending some money. If not the drought starts again next year.

Gotta agree with that, TFD. It's been a long, long time since this franchise has made ANY noise. If the team doesn't make the playoffs, I'll be hugely disappointed. I don't care much about exceeding expectations. I want results. The reason the Tigers have exceeded expectations is because as Tigers fans, we are trained to have incredibly low expectations.

Yeah kinda like the Lions going 10 and 6 and not making the playoffs. Disappointment.

Agree...don't tease us and then let the experts predictions come to fruition and the Tigers are on the outside looking in like the previous 19 seasons. :mad:

If they do hang on and finish with the best record, do they automatically play the wild card team, or the playoff team that finishes with the worst record? Have not been paying attention the past few years since the Tigs weren't involved.

I'm going with Merc on this one...kinda. I'll be really disappointed if they don't make it but not angry. I gotta give them credit for what they accomplished in one season.

I think they can hang on still, but it's no sure bet.:fingerscr

Man, the Tigers are going through a tough stretch. It's currently 8-5, and Verlander was on the mound! Every team goes through at least one http://dragon.stack.nl/~nushae/images/blah.gif. But this really isn't a good time, with the twins and sox lurking (even though the sox look like there going to lose again) One night the its the tigers offense, scoring only two runs. Then its there pitching, Verlander giving up eight runs and there offense is above average. I can't wait for this slump to end. http://dragon.stack.nl/~nushae/images/waits.gif

They might be looking forward to the Yanks.
But expecting them to .666 ball was and is crazy. It's crazy, crazy!

Tigers snap there streak and win 7-1, nice game by Rogers. There is also more news:
Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said lefty Andrew Miller, Detroit's No. 1 draft pick in June, will be called up Tuesday from Class A Lakeland before the Tigers open a three-game series at Yankee Stadium in New York

how come we optioned Clevlen to Erie?

i thought he'd been pretty good for us. it's not just because granderson had a good game today finally, is it?

one other thing: it seems to me leyland has an absolutely PERFECT attitude: "Either we're good enough or we're not,'' he said. ''You have to keep playing. If it's good enough, we'll still be playing in October. If not, we'll go home. We'll find out.''

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said lefty Andrew Miller, Detroit's No. 1 draft pick in June, will be called up Tuesday from Class A Lakeland before the Tigers open a three-game series at Yankee Stadium in New York

Sweet!... this kid needs the exposure... good.... bad or indifferent.

I still think most sports are games of streaks. I was afraid that the Tigers would be like the Pistons and peak too early. That does not leave time for a losing period and recovery before the playoffs.

But, the losing times came early enough that they can peak again at the right time.

Players just have to keep their heads up and their minds on the game; things will straighten out in time.

How many times does it happen that you can lose several games at a time and still have the lead the Tigers have?

When you're winning 6.5 games to 1 over 110 games you're not a streaky team you're dominant. Only the best pitchers were taking wins from us. Going up 10 games on the world champs is consistency. Losing a starting pitcher and not fading is awesome.

Tonight is an off night for the Tigers, so I was bored and came across this Tigers song. It's pretty cool, I think they should play it as their theme song for now on... (The slideshow is cool, but the song is even better)

link: YouTube - Tigers Gonna Do It Again!!!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1iGuCcVCSI)