As the July trade deadline neared, there was much rumbling about the Tigers lack of offensive prowess.  General consensus was that Detroit had to make a move to bring in a big bat.  He should be left handed and be able to hit for some power.  Instead, Dave Dombowski pulled the trigger on a deal for LHP Jarrod Washburn.
 
Then in mid-August, the Tigers added that hitter, acquiring Aubrey Huff from Baltimore.  So far, neither Washburn nor Huff have been the key to maintaining the Tigers’ divisional lead.
 
The difference maker so far has been a healthy Carlos Guillen.
 
Since returning from injury [...]

A short while ago, Blake called the AL Central a two team race.  The next three days will go a long way toward determining if he was right, but he might have gotten the second team wrong.
 
When the Spot Startersmade their bold declaration back on August 6, Minnesota sat a distant third in the standings, some 6.5 games behind Detroit.  Thanks to a very good home stand the Twins have crawled back to within 4.5 games of Detroit, and have leap-frogged over the White Sox for second place.  Chicago has dropped six of the first seven games of their current [...]

In 2006, he was a bulldog. Gum Time was at the top of his game. The lefty made it a habit of carving up opposing lefties with his hard biting slider. In 2008, when Nate Robertson signed his extension, he was part of a nucleus that was the future on the mound for the Detroit Tigers.
Now in 2009, he is just trying to fit in.
That battle continues tonight, as one of Detroit’s most beloved pitchers at one point this decade returns to the mound looking to have success. Striving for the fun factor. Tonight Nate will dig deep: for command, [...]

The Minnesota Twins are closing in fast, and they’ve added re-enforcements.  MLB Trade Rumors has links to two deals the Twins pulled off today in an effort to bolster their bullpen, and gain ground of the front-running Detroit Tigers.  In separate deals, Minnesota added lefty Ron Mahay from Kansas City and right handed setup man Jon Rauch from Arizona.
 
The Twins have won five of their last six and have closed to within one half game of second place Chicago, but still sit 4.5 games behind Detroit.  The Twins host the White Sox for three games starting Monday.
 
Minnesota has struggled to [...]

As the season winds into September, the continuing question seems to be, “Will the Tigers be able to compete with the big boys?” Nobody has solved the true equation, but this weekend will give Detroit Tigers fans a true sense of things to come, as the Devil Rays (I’ll pay ownership my dollar the second Tuesday of next week) come into town. For the Tigers, Nate Robertson will look to rebound on Saturday, after making solid rehab starts in AAA Toledo.  This is the beginning of a stretch for the Rays, where they will play 17 games against contenders for [...]

As the calendar pushes toward September, the Detroit Tigers find themselves in a spot not many figured they would be before the season began.  The Tigers sit alone at the top of the American League Central, a spot they have occupied for the last 127 days.
 
There are a few reasons for the success the Tigers are enjoying to this point, the biggest is the way the club has played in Comerica Park.
 
Entering play tonight, Detroit has a home record of 40-20, one of the top marks in baseball.  They need it, too.  The Tigers are a dismal 27-39 on the [...]

The Tigers are in first place. In fact, for the first time in months, Detroit’s baseball fans can breath a little sigh of relief. On this off-day, the Tigers sit 4.5 games up in the A.L. Central division.  That doesn’t mean that things are going to get easier, but for once, fans can relish in the fact that we will lead this division all the way into September.
On this off-day, as I look back at all of the times I have stated that this team doesn’t, I’m starting to realize that I might just be wrong. Only time will tell. [...]

(Note: This is the sixth installment of By the Numbers.  If you missed any of the first five, click on the ‘By the Numbers’ tag at the top of this page.)
No. 6 Al Kaline
Since the day he signed his first contract in 1953, no man has more identified with the Detroit Tigers than Al Kaline.  As a young man growing up, I knew Kaline from the Sunday afternoon telecasts that were carried on the Fox affiliate in Toledo, Ohio.  Kaline and his partner George Kell called the games in those days.
In the years since, I have known Kaline as an [...]