FADING FAST
GREG BOWMAN
Do the Tigers still have a chance to win the American League Central? Well, I still have a chance to win the Lottery, if I buy the ticket, and if all my lucky numbers come up. The odds of that happening are few million to one. And while the Tiger chances aren't that slim, they certainly aren't a good bet to make it to the post season. The Tigers now have fallen back to the .500 mark, where they haven't been since early in the season when they were seven and seven. And they find themselves seven games behind the red hot Chicago White Sox.
So what went wrong? A lot of things, but you can pin most of the blame on a lack of timely hitting, and injuries to a number of key players. The last few games, the Tigers have looked like a barnstorming team featuring Miguel Cabrera and an ever-changing cast of rookies up from the farm in Toledo. With Magglio Ordonez hurt and Brennan Boesch's bat turned ice cold (6 out of his last 60 at bats and no home runs in more than a month) opposing teams are doing what anyone would do in this situation: walking Cabrera intentionally or semi-intentionally. He's still managing to get hits and RBI's, but he doesn't usually get to hit in key situations.
The Tigers didn't do much before the trade deadline. They picked up third baseman Johnny Peralta to replace Brandon Inge. He's been a nice addition to the team so far, picking up two homers in his first game as a TIger. But face it, Johnny Peralta is not nearly enough to solve all the Tigers woes. The Tigers apparently made inquiries about pitchers Ted Lilly and Dan Harren, and outfielder Adam Dunn. But the other teams wanted the Tigers big pitching guns Jacob Turner and Andy Oliver, and the team wasn't going to give up those guys to rent a player. Just a couple years ago, though, everyone was hot on the Tigers outfielder Wilkin Ramirez. But the Tigers ran out of patience with his inability to hit a curve ball, and they shipped him to Atlanta for the infamous player to be named later.
The Tigers chances aren't completely dead yet, but they have a huge series coming up with the first place White Sox at Comerica Park, where the Tigs have had the best home record in the American League. If they can somehow get some timely hitting, keep up the strong performances from the starters, and get the bullpen back on track, their slim pennant hopes can stay alive, at least for now.
