Detroit Tigers Links: First Quarter Review, Dombrowski Remakes the Club, Stats to Know

May 19, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez (41) is congratulated after his second inning home run against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

First Quarter Review: Detroit Tigers’ 2014 season – Patrick OKennedy – Bless You Boys

"After the first quarter, the Tigers own the best winning percentage in major league baseball. They are on pace to win 109 games, which would be easily the most in the history of their storied franchise, the previous high being in 1984 when they won 104 games. To what do they owe their success?"

Patrick gives a detailed breakdown of the Detroit Tigers now that we’re a quarter of the way through the season.

Dave Dombrowski’s Detroit Tigers ‘remake’ more than working – Bob Nightengale – USA Today Columnist

"“I don’t want to get carried away,” Dombrowski told USA TODAY Sports, “but we tried to remake the team a little bit. Really, our goal for awhile has been trying to get a little more athletic, and this winter we were really trying to focus on athleticism.”Voilà! The Tigers, with the acquisitions of Kinsler (.315) and Davis, now have one of more lethal lineups in baseball. They can beat you anyway they want. They’ve got the speed. The power. The patience. And, oh yeah, that dude named Miguel Cabrera, who has won the last two American League MVP awards."

The Detroit Tigers do seem to have a re-shaped team that is good, but let’s not confuse that with necessarily better than last year. The 2013 Tigers scored 4.91 runs per game and this year’s team has scored 4.83 runs per game. Improved defense has aided in improved run prevention though.

Top stats to know: Tigers at Indians – John Fisher and Katie Sharp – ESPN.com

"Miguel Cabrera started the season cold but has been on a tear over the past month. Through April 21, he was hitting just .206 with one homer. In 23 games since then he has hit six home runs and a .389 batting average in that span.As you can see in the chart on the right, his numbers for the season are now on par or better than what he did in his first 39 games in 2012, when he won the MVP and Triple Crown."

Cabrera’s 2012 Triple Crown year was perhaps his worst season of the past fou, but yeah, that’s just another testament to how consistently awesome he’s been these last several years.

Tigers’ flight to Cleveland delayed due to mechanical issues, team stays extra night in Boston – James Schmehl – MLive

"The team bus departed Fenway Park around 12:30 a.m. and the charter plane was expected to arrive in Cleveland early Monday. But mechanical issues kept the plane grounded and the Tigers were reportedly stuck on the runway for several hours.The team returned to their hotel around 3:30 a.m."

Pictures of a tired bunch of Detroit Tigers in Zubaz included.