In the waning days of the baseball season most teams are making plans for what they are going to do in October, while a few select teams are coasting to the post-season letting no-names fill their spots against teams that don’t matter. Then there are the Tigers and the Twins, who are scratching, clawing and doing whatever it is people from the Twin cities do in order to get a spot in October.
By all accounts, the Tigers should be running away with the Central. The Tigers have a very strong pitching staff and a lineup that should have catapulted them out of this situation they are having with the Twins. They have an unquestioned ace in Justin Verlander who notched his 18th victory against the Twins. Edwin Jackson has emerged from Tampa Bay Ray obscurity to become a surprise All-Star this season. Granted he’s cooled down a bit, a 13-8 record and ERA well under four is more than anyone could have asked. They also have the boy wonder, Rick Porcello. At just 20 years old, Porcello has built himself up to be baseball’s next big star. Amazingly he can only get better. With another five years under his belt he can reach ace status while still being younger than some rookies.
The Tigers even have a strong bullpen packed with electric arms. Fernando Rodney has only blown one save on the season and Brandon Lyon has been their stud out of the pen boasting an ERA just under three. Who needs Joel Zumaya’s triple-digit fastball? Well, maybe the Tigers. In fact Zumaya’s absence may prove to be a big problem, if Lyon is unavailable in the playoffs and a strong arm out of the pen is needed. In reality though, the bullpen is the least of their problems.
Detroit’s offense has been stagnant to say the least. The season started with a lineup packed with players who could potentially bring the punch, but somewhere along the way they stopped putting runs on the board. Perhaps the offense was lulled to sleep as Verlander threw so many zeros up on the board. Maybe just one or two runs would do the job. Well, that won’t work in the playoffs. Of course that is if they make the playoffs, since the Twins are nipping at their heals.
Curtis Granderson, Magglio Ordonez, Brandon Inge and Miguel Cabrera were supposed to be the powerhouse to this lineup. Unfortunately only Cabrera decided to show up offensively this season. Even Granderson’s 30+ homeruns this year are tainted by the fact that he’s only driven in 70 RBI. He’s also struck out a monstrous 135 times and has a batting average just over .250; an amount that is unacceptable for your lead-off hitter. Magglio Ordonez has managed a whopping seven homeruns and 44 RBI’s. His abysmal numbers make it clear how the Twins could come fighting back.
The lack of offensive production has let the Twins stay in the race. Every year the Twins seem to have a better club than anyone gives them credit for. They are not stacked with stars and their starting rotation has had to skate by on relatively obscure young players. After Kevin Slowey went down with an injury the team turned to Scott Baker and Carl Pavano. That’s right, Carl Pavano. You know your team’s pitching staff is in trouble when a strong start from Pavano could be the difference between going to the playoffs and staying home.
Like the Tigers, the Twins depended on a small core of players to get their offense going. The difference is that the Twins players have delivered. Almost all of the teams run production comes from the modern day M&M boys, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Mauer has put up MVP numbers, while Morneau has been his typical 30 homerun, 100 RBI self. The only problem is that Morneau is out for the season with an injury putting a lot more weight on the shoulders of Mauer.
With this major injury Minnesota is going to need to rely on some of its lesser players such as, outfielder Michael Cuddyer and shortstop Orlando Cabrera. With their questionable offense along with a pitching staff that has only one reliable player in their closer Joe Nathan, the Twins are grasping at anything to squeak their way into October.
Detroit has the attributes of a team that should run away with this division. The pieces are there they just have not been working correctly. The Twins lack all the pieces but what the team has is working well together. All it takes is the Tigers to perk up, or the Twins to break down to decide this AL Central race.