Weekly Central Review – Tigers Point of View

June 6, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers manager

(10) shakes hands with relief pitcher

(46) after the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park. Detroit won 2-5. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

For the most recent week passed – Friday, June 1- Thursday, June 6.

STANDINGS

1. Detroit Tigers   32 – 26
2. Cleveland Indians   30 – 29
3. Minnesota Twins   26 – 31
4. Kansas City Royals  25 – 32
5. Chicago White Sox  25 – 33

POWER RANKING/WEEKLY RECORD

1. Detroit Tigers   3 – 3
2. Minnesota Twins   3 – 3
3. Kansas City Royals   3 – 3
4. Cleveland Indians   1 – 5
5. Chicago White Sox  1 – 6

• Six games, six great starts for the TIGERS rotation… Offensively, the runs keep coming in bunches; amazing that this team can be handcuffed by a slop-balling lefty like Brian Matusz, then light up one of the AL’s best in Matt Moore… Ponder for a moment, this team would be in 5th place in the AL East – only in the AL Central can you go 3-3 and pick up two games… A .500 record from now until the end of the season would net 84 wins for the Tigers – and that might be enough… Prince Fielder must have read this column last week – he pushed 3 singles and a double the opposite way and rang in June to the tune of a .412 BA with 3 HR’s… Lightning-rod Don Kelly continues to get way too many starts – and continues to do what Don Kelly does;  play outstanding defense, chunk in a RBI here, a run scored there. Which makes the outcry over the release of Quintin Berry even more astonishing. As Sparky Anderson said regarding Milt Cuyler, “Ain’t no way to steal first base.” … Taking two of three from a rugged Rays team was a nice start to the homestand – need to do the same to the stumbling Tribe this weekend.
• The TWINS received a gift from the Mariners on Sunday – Jeremy Bonderman toed the slab as Seattle’s starter. The results were predictable… Samuel Deduno had his second strong outing in a row vs. KC the next day as their rag-tag staff  manages to push Minnesota toward the .500 mark. Ryan Doumit‘s bat heated up as he blasted 4 HR’s – his 3 o’clock shadow would sparkle behind the dish compared to Alex Avila.
• The ROYALS finally snapped an 11-game home losing streak at home on Wednesday. They are banking on George Brett’s expertise to awaken their slumbering bats – especially those of supposed up-and-comers Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakos. Speculation is rampant that he will quickly ascend to Ned Yost‘s tentative throne – at least we know he can handle an argument with an umpire.
• The INDIANS slide continues, as they make news on the injury front again but not much else. Tiger-slayer Asdrubal Cabrera joins Chris Perez on the DL. Ryan Raburn has cooled off a bit, although he is at .293 with 5 HR’s and 16 RBI. Tuesday marked the anniversary of one of the most legendary forfeited games in MLB history – Ten Cent Beer Night.
• The WHITE SOX  battled their way back to .500, then proceeded to lose 8 straight. They broke that streak with one of the most bizarre 16-inning wins you will ever see – scoreless through 13-innings but a 7-5 final. Jake Peavy is heading to the DL with a broken rib and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. The offense is last or next-to-last in the league in every category, and they are relying that the return of Gordon Beckham will turn that around. Good luck.

LAST WEEK”S FOCAL POINTS:

• Tigers and Royals slumbering bats waking up: Royals, uh, no: Tigers, in spurts.
• White Sox pitching staff – wearing thin, allowing 26 runs in 7 games.
• Indians bullpen – hanging in there – the starters did not give them much of a chance this week.
• Twins momentum – inching their way toward respectability, not giving them a shot at relevance yet.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK:

• Tigers – Indians showdown in Motown
• The Brett Effect on Kansas City’s sluggers
• The Twins patient march to respectability with Quadruple-A starters
• Will the White Sox average more than two runs per game?