[Lefty Noob]

Detroit beat Minnesota yesterday to expand their Central division lead to 5 games.

VOA News - Baseball: Tigers Down Twins in Key Matchup
By VOA Sports
08 September 2006

The Detroit Tigers crushed four home runs Thursday to beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 in a key Major League Baseball matchup.

Detroit rookie pitcher Justin Verlander earned his 16th victory, and gave the American League-leading Tigers a five-game lead over the Twins.

However, Minnesota maintained a half-game edge on Chicago for a wild card playoff spot as the White Sox were thumped 9-1 by the Cleveland Indians in the only other AL game Thursday.

Will the Tiger be able to hang on to win the AL Central? Anyone know what their magic number is yet?

[MJHMarc]

No, I have no clue.

You might want to check out a Tigers' blog for their lucky number. I don't know any off the top of my head.

Sorry, that I could be of any assistance.

[Lefty Noob]

You know, you just can never count these Tigers out. Every time it looks like they're going to surrender the AL Central lead for sure, they pull out a win like yesterday's 17-2 victory over Baltimore. Still, they've lost 17 of their last 26 - not good for a club hoping to reach the postseason. They're obviously running on fumes right now, but it seems that just maybe, they have enough left in the tank to reach the postseason.

[flamnotspam]

Considering the Tigs haven't even finished a season over .500 since 1993, just the idea that they're in a playoff race in the first place is pretty unbelievable....
Of course, I can't speak for all Tigers fans, but I am personally happy just to see them finally have a winning season. Living in NYC it is tough to be a fan of any team other than the Yankees, nevermind one that has a .265 season (2003 was torture!!). It's been nice to finally put a sock in some of my snobby friends' mouths

[Lefty Noob]

Hey there, flamnotspam, and welcome to GoTeamsGo! I totally understand where you're coming from - Pirates fan here, so I've been through some pretty bad seasons too. I enjoy seeing the Tigers compete, especially with Jimmy Leyland as their manager. He's a great skipper and he's worked wonders with that young team. Here's hoping they make the playoffs!

[MJHMarc]

It is just incredible to see how much they fell since the first half. I must admit that they were the best team in the First Half but I couldn't say the same about the second half. Kenny Rogers no longer is a threat for the Cy Young Award and Chris Shelton is not even close to the MVP Award.

The only player who you recognize in their line-up is Ivan Rodriguez who is not a great batter at all. His skills have really diminished since he left Texas a few years back. Dmitri Young and Rondell White have been injured and have had their ups and downs throughout the season.

Justin Verlander has truly helped their pitiful rotation this season. With an instant impact, he might win the Rookie of the Year Award. Other top candidates are Twins' ace, Francisco Liriano who is suffering from a bad injury that may have put him on the bench for the remainder of the season.

[flamnotspam]

Undeniably, the Tigs have taken a nose dive since the break. However, as the title of this thread states, they are still hanging on to the ALC lead....by a hair, to be sure, but that alone is proof that a team doesn't necessarily need a lineup stacked with "recognizable" players to be competitive.

[MJHMarc]

I totally agree with you, flamnotspam.

But then what is the KC Royals' excuse?

[Lefty Noob]

Speaking of those Royals, the were the Tigers latest victims, losing 7-3 to Detroit yesterday. According to the AP, "Detroit improved to 12-1 this season against Kansas City, with five games left against the Royals. After two more games in Kansas City, they finish the season at home with three against Toronto and three more with the Royals."

By the way, Detroit's AL Central lead is currently 1.5 games over the Twins.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Speaking of those Royals, the were the Tigers latest victims, losing 7-3 to Detroit yesterday. According to the AP, "Detroit improved to 12-1 this season against Kansas City, with five games left against the Royals. After two more games in Kansas City, they finish the season at home with three against Toronto and three more with the Royals."

By the way, Detroit's AL Central lead is currently 1.5 games over the Twins.

Five more against the Royals huh?...Can life be any more charmed?

[MJHMarc]

And baseball officials claim that all major league baseball teams have the same difficulty of schedules. It has become obvious that Detroit will beat Kansas City in the upcoming series and clinch a spot in the post-season.