MCB staff looks ahead to the second half of Detroit Tigers 2014 season

Jul 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez (28) celebrates after scoring in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Missing baseball? Real, meaningful non-Exhibition baseball?

The staff at Motor City Bengals is missing it as well. Like you, we are anxiously awaiting the final 71 games of the season to see if the Detroit Tigers can head into the postseason for a fourth straight year and look to finally win that elusive World Series title.

Tuesday, our staff roundtable looked at the first half of the 2014 season. Today, on the eve of baseball resuming, we’ll look ahead to the season’s final 2 1/2 months.

Please click through the slideshow to see all of the questions and our answers.

What storyline are you looking forward to seeing playing out for this team in the second half?

Matt Snyder: I’m definitely interested to see if Justin Verlander can get everything put back together. He was able to do it down the stretch a season ago and became a dominant force once again in October. I’m especially intrigued / concerned about his strikeout rate: nearly 8.5 K/9 for his career, he’s been below 7.0 K/9 this season.

Chris Hannum: Of course the storyline we’re all hoping for is another deep playoff run.  Aside from what I “want” to see, what I’ll be just plain interested to see is what the Tigers bullpen looks like in August and especially September with (hopefully) Hanrahan and (presumably) both Knebel and Ray.

Michael Emmerich: 1. How does Ausmus shuffle his outfield pieces. Will Jackson or Hunter suffer reduced played time? If Martinez cools considerably, and the odds are he will, then Ausmus will probably go with the preseason plan. But if Martinez continues to contribute Ausmus will have to make some difficult decisions.  2. How will the left side of the infield hold up down the stretch. I think they’ll be fine, but the pressure thickens in August and September. No matter what happens, I’m excited to watch two young Tigers playing together with bright futures.

Grant Stoye: As a fantasy owner, I’d love to see Verlander bounce back, but I’m still incredibly interested in how Ausmus utilizes Andy Dirks and manages the OFs playing times.

Tom Zahari: I’m interested in what will happen the remainder of the season in the Tigers’ outfield. Torii Hunter has really heated up going into the All Star Break. Austin Jackson is playing well at the moment. J.D. Martinez has set the world on fire since coming up to the Tigers. Rajai Davis has played just as everyone has expected him to play. Andy Dirks is going to return soon. I am excited to see what happens in the Tigers’ outfield in the 2nd half. I am also interested to see who is the odd man out of the order and the roster when Dirks returns.

Blair Tatrault: In Castellanos and Suarez, the Tigers have two youngsters holding down the left side of the infield–each has comported himself well in the first half. An intriguing question is how the rookies will handle the increased pressures of September and October baseball, assuming this team advances to postseason play.

Matt Pelc: I am really interested to see what happens when Andy Dirks comes back. I am also dreading the situation because someone like Rajai Davis, who has been really solid this year, will lose playing time—or worse—when Dirks comes back. Even a guy like Don Kelly, who is not popular with the fanbase but I like as a bench guy, will suffer with the return of Dirks. But Dirks is not a star, he’s an average player and I hate that the Tigers feel they need to mess with success to guarantee Dirks a roster spot.

Josh Scramlin: I am certainly looking forward to the outfield situation.  For the first time in a while the Tigers have an abundance of outfielders. When Dirks comes back, things will get interesting. J.D. Martinez and Rajai Davis have played so incredibly well it’s hard to imagine their playing time decreasing. Austin Jackson has been disappointing thus far and Torii’s defense is horrid. So, a team has five starter-quality outfielders. What to do?

Sam O’Toole: How Dirks is going to fit in. To me, either Kelly gets cut or Davis could be used in a deadline deal. J.D. Martinez isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and the Tigers have to open up a roster spot for Dirks. I see Kelly being the odd man out in a couple of weeks.

May 23, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit (56) is congratulated by catcher Yasmani Grandal (8) after a win against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. The Padres won 11-1. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Who is the player, or players, that the Tigers should look to acquire before the trading deadline?

Matt Snyder: I’m guessing we’ll see another relief arm added to the roster. Joaquin Benoit was a rumored target last week but I think we’ll see something more in line with the Jose Veras move from last season.

Chris Hannum: J.J. Putz.  He’s free, why not take a flyer?  There are plenty of other guys that are at least potentially available that could help the team more (it’d be really nice to see Joaquin Benoit back), but it doesn’t seem like the Tigers can just add salary left and right anymore.

Michael Emmerich: Unless Tulo or Price suddenly come available at a price the Tigers can afford (ya, right), Dombrowski should just add a couple of arms to the bullpen. Joquan Benoit has been mentioned, and he’d be a strong addition (even though DD let him walk last year, the Tigers GM doesn’t let pride get in the away of these things). Huston Street is having a solid year, but he may cost too much. Could we rewind the clock on that Fister deal and then move Smyly into the bullpen?

Grant Stoye: I love Ben Zobrist and I miss Joaquin Benoit, but I feel like the Tigers will acquire someone out of the blue (Andrew Miller? Josh Colmenter?) that will dominate the second half and make Dombrowski look like a genius. Again.

Tom Zahari: I would look for bullpen help and a left handed bat to come off of the bench. For the bullpen, I am fine with the Joaquim Soria rumors. I’m not sure Soria will be the guy, but I think it will be minor moves rather than major moves at the deadline.

Blair Tatrault: Gotta go bullpen. Joakim Soria, Joaquin Benoit, Koji Uehara. As long as his first name is hard to spell, it’s okay with me. Huston Street would help. An under the radar guy would be Boston left-hander Andrew Miller, if available.

Matt Pelc: Anyone they are rumored with for the bullpen, but primarily Joaquin Benoit. I don’t understand why the Tigers were so interested in parting company with him this past off-season when he had a lot of success in whatever the team needed him to do. He knows the team, the system, and is used to the postseason.

Josh Scramlin: Joaquin Benoit is definitely the one player I think is vital that the Tigers acquire. The bullpen woes would be few and far between with him in it and if Nathan can turn things around, it’d be a seven inning game with those two.

Sam O’Toole: With Nathan struggling, I think the Tigers need one more big arm at the back end of the bullpen. Joel Hanrahan will be there at some point in the second half, but he is more of a wild card. I’d like to see the Tigers go after Huston Street. He would be pricey but would fit nicely as either the set up man or the closer. A quality left-hander in the bullpen wouldn’t hurt, either.