Making Their Move

While at the Hall of Fame last weekend I tried to keep an eye on how the Tigers were doing, as they had a big series against the White Sox. They won the first two games, moving into first place (and accordingly, on the standings board outside the Hall). On Sunday, I was taking the trolley back to the parking lot and a couple behind me were checking the scores on a smartphone. I asked about the Tigers-White Sox score, and was given the good news. A sweep!

So after a first-half of mostly spinning their wheels, the Tigers have now won 15 of 17, and are in a flat-footed tie with the White Sox, the Indians four back. On the ride home I wondered about picking up extra help, especially a fifth starter, which has been held down all year by rookies. Drew Smyly has done well, but has spent a lot of time on the D.L., and Jacob Turner, who won Sunday's game.

The Tigers then threw the switch, trading Turner and a few other prospects to Miami for Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante. Turner was named a top 10 prospect by Baseball America, so this is clearly a win now move. But Sanchez is a good pitcher, going 5 and 7 so far this year, but with a 3.94 ERA. Infante is an even better pickup, for the Tigers had the worst stats of any team this year at second-base. Immediately they solve that problem, with a lifetime .276 hitter.

The Tigers have traded a lot with the Marlins, probably since Dave Dombrowski worked there. One of the great pickups they made was Miguel Cabrera, who continues to be one of the great hitters in baseball. On Sunday he socked two home runs, the second was his 300th in his career, and he is not yet 30 years old.

If Sanchez can be a reliable starter and Infante can hit decently, the Tigers should be unstoppable in their quest to win the division.

At the Break

It's been a bit of a ride the last week for the Tigers. After inexplicably dropping two to the last-place Twins, the Tigers came back to the win the last two games of the series, then swept the Royals, heading into the All-Star break with a five-game winning streak. They are now above .500 and 3 1/2 games behind the White Sox, who are also playing very well.

The Tigers sent three to the All-Star game. Prince Fielder was voted to start at first base, and Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander were chosen as well. Verlander was then tapped to be the starting pitcher, perhaps more in honor of his season last year than this, although his numbers this year are right up there.

On Monday night, Fielder was the first Tiger to ever win the Home Run Derby (I find it amusing that this manufactured event now has records and statistics), although it was his second win personally. I find this event kind of boring--how long can you simply watch batters jacking the ball out of the park, but it's made even worse by the baying of the bumptious Chris Berman, who is so in love with himself saying "back back back back" that listening to it is like listening to chalk scrape against a blackboard.

So I was lucky that when I flipped around and fell back to it I saw Fielder, at least in his second and third-round appearances. Eschewing a helmet, which left his dreads floating free, his bulk tightly wrapped in a powder blue jersey, Fielder resembled some sort of space age lumberjack, whacking away at a redwood. He hit the farthest home runs, several landing in the Kaufmann Stadium fountain, and out-slugged Jose Bautista to take the crown, his adorable sons flanking him.

But that would be it for Tiger glory at the All-Star festivities. Fielder would go quietly in his two at bats, and Miguel Cabrera would bounce into a double-play. Verlander would get the worst of it, allowing five runs in his only inning, the key blows being a double by Ryan Braun and a bases loaded triple by Pablo Sandovar. Verlander, never at his best in the first inning, threw heat, but a fastball without movement or precision can be hit by good hitters. He did strike it out two, but both were on off-speed pitches.

I can only hope that Verlander shrugs off this unfortunate display on the national stage with aplomb and goes back to his usual self, and that Fielder continues to hit moon shots. The Tiger bats have heated up, finally. Delmon Young has hit four homers in four days, and Jhonny Peralta was starting to hit. Last year the Tigers were tough outs from spots 1 to 8 in the order, and they've got to get that groove back in order to move into the division lead. They've also got to get consistent starting pitcher, but I think that's working out fine, especially if Doug Fister can come around.

It should be noted that Justin Verlander's greatest achievement this summer, if the rumor is true, is that he is dating supermodel Kate Upton. Maybe that's why he didn't look good on Tuesday.