Detroit and Cleveland are separated by 170 miles, a large body of water, and 2 World Series Championships. The Tigers have won 4, last being in 1984. The Indians have won 2, last being in 1948. This summer is the first in a long, long time these two teams have been good at the same time. Both are relatively young, have powerful lineups, and are making a mockery of the rest of the division.
I am very interested to see how the second half turns out. The Tigers look as good as they have all year, and that's with a shaky at best bullpen. Right now I am not as convinced about the Indians. They do rank in the bottom half in the AL in pitching, but I think their record away from the bandbox they play in is even more telling.
Regardless of what the current trend looks like, if either team goes on a skid, the Mariners will be there. The Tigers go to Seattle for four right after the break. Lose that series, and not only does the race for the AL Central tighten, but playoff aspirations do as well.
2 comments:
I was pooh-poohed derisively for saying it last year, but ignore the T***ns at your own risk.
Good point. I remember their manager shuffling the rotation last year when they were on that streak so the Twins would have their best pitchers against the best teams (i.e. Tigers). I believe that contributed to Francisco Liriano's career being in jeopardy as we speak. That is a young, talented arm and Gardy goofed.
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