i just don't.

They might not. There's always the chance.

Their first "slump" of the season, and here come the haters!

I think they will make the playoffs. My main concern right now is how well the statrting pitching will hold up. Rogers is in his annual second half fall. Verlander has been fantastic, but I'm worried about the number of innings he's pitched. He's never thrown that many before. Maroth is in the minors rehabbing, so hopefully he can spell him a bit when he reutrns.

Yes, rogers in his annual second half "fall" and has given up 5 earned runs total in his past 3 starts- 2 if you take out the first inning against cleveland.

Verlander was fine until they started reducing his innings by skipping the start- then he started tipping his pitches and got out of rhythem....


SO do you watch the tigers, or just regurgitate the generic lines about the tigers?


And for those not thinking the Tigers wont make it, they have a 6.5 game lead with less than 40 games left... and they have the easiest schedule of the AL central contenders for september.

Yes but they still must face the White Sox like 9 more times. They havnt exactly played stellar against them.

And the White Sox haven't necessarily played stellar against the likes of the Royals and Twins either.

Despite the Tigers' "slump" (despite winning 2 of 3 in Boston and 3 of their 5 altogether), they actually gained a game against the White Sox this week.

As a lifelong Tigers fan who now lives in Pittsburgh, I watch as many Tigers games as I can given the situation. But I do read about every game in the Detroit papers, so I'm not some bandwagon jumper.

Anyhow...look at his ERA since July...it's gone up over half a run. He has 2 wins since July, and Thursday's win, even with just 2 earned runs, was only 5 innings, and not all that impressive. His last 8 starts he as allawed 4, 5, 1, 7, 5, 3, 0, and 2 earned runs. Add in the 3-4 walks he'll give up. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Not what I want to see heading into a pennant race.

Maroth will be back, so they'll have a 6th starter in case someone (e.g., Verlander) needs a rest.

Rogers will be fine. He does this every year, and he comes out ok. He admitted that he's been overpitching, but has calmed down.

Every rotation for every team in contention in the American League is going through the same thing, or worse. The White Sox rotation is crumbling (with Garland being the only consistent starter). The Twins' rotation isn't the same without Lariano. The Red Sox rotation is up and down. The Yankees rotation has two dependable starters and three inconsistent ones. The Tigers are still in pretty good shape, particularly with two rookies throwing as well as they are.

7 more- 4 at comerica.

So this awful stretch he has pitched has included 5 starts giving up less than 4 earned runs, and 3 of them have been 2 ER or less...


Not impressive, but not the "second half fall" you described it as.
Also, please take into account that the 1 run game was a HUGE game against chicago- probably the biggest win of the year thus far- the only must have game they have played.

Not being as dominant as before doesn't mean he's tanking.

don't misunderstand - i'm a twins fan, so i've always been a hater. the twins have the toughest remaining schedule of any playoff contender. i just have a feeling.

So essentially you're saying that both the White Sox and the Twins make it and the Tigers don't, correct?

You're the same person who last year said the White Sox were goin down because they havent proven anything and they have always choked in the second half. This year, the same situation for the Tigers and you've completely flipped your argument. I think you are just a White Sox hater. Plain and simple.

God Forbid that a Tiger Fan dislike a division rival and try and justify why the tigers may win.

we cant all be philly fans (or Koufax ) and jump ship every time a game is lost.

If they don't, it would be a collapse of historical proportions.

I don't think I'd say that. It's not like the Twins and the White Sox (the White Sox especially) have been low all season. They have consitently had the 2-4 best record in baseball behind the Tigers.

since the red sox seem content to play themselves out of the picture, yes, this is what i think.

Yeah, you got me . . .

Neifi is now a tiger.

I think Infante has been filling in admirably, but it's a good acquisition depth-wise.