Break Up the Indians!

[R-Jack]

Since they are ...........WINNING

[SunCoastSooner]

Fuck the Indians... I hope their stadium falls into the Cayahoga River!

[Mace]

Yeah, it's really early. Yeah, their pitching will falter. Yeah, Hafner won't hit like this for long. But...

Please...let us old Indians fans enjoy this brief return to respectibility for a little while.

Sonny Siebert, Max Alvis, Rocky Colavito, Mudcat Grant, Vic Power, awaken! All your years of toiling with no reward are being honored.

Fuck Edgar Renteria!

And lest we forget Sudden Sam...

Don't forget the Heater from Van Meter who died last December, Sam.

[R-Jack]

Before your time would be before time old man.

[Shoalzie]

Having a healthy Sizemore, Hafner and Cabrera helps and their pitching staff is rotten but they're off to nice start. It'll be the same result in the end...the Twins catch fire and steal the division.

[Yer a Fuckin Jerkoff]

Boston broke em up!

Beckett comes in and carves the shit out of them the other night just like he did in that '07 ALCS where I predicted they'd come back and win after being down 3 games to 1.

Then they send Lester to the hill last night and he gave them a nice buttfucking, not to mention the offense. 14-2 score have a nice night, frauds

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Beckett comes in and carves the shit out of them the other night just like he did in that '07 ALCS where I predicted they'd come back and win after being down 3 games to 1.

Is it really a skillful "prediction" when you pick the same team(s) to win it every single year? And the mega budget teams, at that. No, it's more like hitting on the law of averages.

[Shoalzie]

...the Twins catch fire and steal the division.

When I see the Tigers wear them out...5-0 so far this year...this is not the same Twins team that makes a second half push. This is a rotten team...a healthy Mauer won't make that big of a difference.

Of course, now that I declare them dead...they'll make some unreal turnaround and win the division. Wait, no they won't...or will they?

[Shoalzie]

Verlander is pitching as well as he's ever pitched for the Tigers. I've picked him a few times recently to win the Cy Young...it may finally happen this year. I wish they'd tweak the rotation and have Verlander go against Kershaw next Monday when they visit Chavez Ravine...he's slated to throw Sunday at Coors in the finale against the Rocks.

2-of-3 from the Tribe and the Tigers hold a slim lead heading into a stretch of interleague play. The Central has the most separation between first and last among the AL divisions but it's a matter of time before the Twins warm up with Mauer coming back, the Sox will get their crap together and the Royals are lurking with their young lineup.

[Shoalzie]

Verlander has to come up big tonight and stop the bleeding...looking for career win #100. JV is only 11-11 in career against Cleveland...Carmona is 8-4...but safe to say both guys are trending in opposite directions with their career. Carmona is a far cry from this '07 form. A Cy Young winner would win a game like tonight...on the road in the yard they've not won in a couple years with the Tribe carrying tons of momentum.

Last night was more painful than that 14 inning loss on Tuesday...Porcello hasn't been hammered like that since the Mets series back in late June. Jimenez wasn't exactly unhittable but he was as good as he had to be. I'm going to the game Saturday night back at Comerica...another 3-game series with the Tribe.

What's funny is Dombo and Leyland get contract extensions just before this series and they've watched the division lead cut in half. These team has become notorious for second half swoons...Leyland has been a terrible second half manager. I don't understand why they extend him before what could be another gag job in the division. If they choke this away, I don't want him back for another season.

[Screw_Michigan]

Going with friends to see Fat Penny and the 'Grs in Bmore tomorrow. Will report back.

[Shoalzie]

Glad to see Luke Scott is back on the DL...that guy kills the Tigers.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

These team has become notorious for second half swoons...Leyland has been a terrible second half manager. I don't understand why they extend him before what could be another gag job in the division. If they choke this away, I don't want him back for another season.

I don't want to see him back regardless. The Tigers would have a 6 game or so lead if Jimmy Smokes didn't trot out his AAA lineup every other day. He got away with this shit in the past because his depth was better. Play your best damn players.

[M Club]

god, just wait till inge comes back when they expand to 40. marlboro will accidentally pencil him in at both lead-off and cleanup.

nice to see betemit get another two hits and an rbi tonight. will obviously sit two of the next three.

[Shoalzie]

Considering Leyland is big on resting guys...I just don't understand why he rests guys like Peralta on Wednesday against Cleveland in a big series when they've got the Orioles this weekend. This weekend is a perfect time to get those top guys a day off before a big week ahead with Minnesota and the return matchup with the Tribe on the weekend. I think he plays matchups to an extent but resting guys against teams you're competing with for the division makes no sense. Do you think Acta considered resting Hafner, Kipnis, Santana or Cabrera against the Tigers?

RACK JV on his win #100...his biggest win of the season (hopefully more to come)

[Shoalzie]

Check out Inge back from the dead...we'll see if this was just a heroic return before going back to the same old 0-for-4 with 3 Ks.

[Shoalzie]

As happy as I am with what has gone down in the last 4 days, I'm not looking to order ALDS tickets yet. The Tigers have yet to prove they're capable of pulling away in a divisional race. They pissed away a lead in '06 but got in with the wild card and they blew a lead late in '09 which lead to Game 163 against the Twins. I don't see a team on the landscape capable of sneaking up on them like the Twins have done in the past...thankfully, they appear to finally be a dead team walking. I honestly think the Tigers are their worst enemy ahead of worrying about the Tribe and Pale Hose.

Simply put, the Tigers need to get the job done in the head-to-head matchups with Chicago and Cleveland down the stretch. They're up 6 over Chicago in the win column and up 7 over Cleveland...the Tigers are still a bad week away from letting them both back into the mix. With the way Verlander is going, this team won't gone on worse than a 4-game losing streak. Following this 4-game set with Tampa, the Tigers don't face another team that currently has a better than .500 record. It sets up to be a nice road to wrap up this division and get in comfortably but then again, I could say the same thing in '06 and '09. Until they do it, I can't trust them to do it.

[Shoalzie]

Hafner likely done for the rest of the season...shocker!

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/68880 ... ot-surgery

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

As happy as I am with what has gone down in the last 4 days, I'm not looking to order ALDS tickets yet. The Tigers have yet to prove they're capable of pulling away in a divisional race. They pissed away a lead in '06 but got in with the wild card and they blew a lead late in '09 which lead to Game 163 against the Twins.

Those Twins teams were good. Currently there isn't another team in the Central worth a fuck. The Sox SHOULD be good, but they can't put it together. Hopefully Detroit builds a big enough lead that Jimmy Smokes can't piss away because half his starters need multiple games of rest down the stretch.

[Shoalzie]

As happy as I am with what has gone down in the last 4 days, I'm not looking to order ALDS tickets yet. The Tigers have yet to prove they're capable of pulling away in a divisional race. They pissed away a lead in '06 but got in with the wild card and they blew a lead late in '09 which lead to Game 163 against the Twins.

Those Twins teams were good. Currently there isn't another team in the Central worth a fuck. The Sox SHOULD be good, but they can't put it together. Hopefully Detroit builds a big enough lead that Jimmy Smokes can't piss away because half his starters need multiple games of rest down the stretch.

A .500 record in the last 34 games puts them at 87 wins. Cleveland would have to finish 24-12 to get to 87 wins and that's including 6 more games with the Tigers and they've got that nasty finish to the season where their last off-day is September 12 and they play 18 games in the final 16 days. I'm really hoping that 3-game set in Cleveland to end the season won't matter because a lead of 3-games or fewer will inevitably end in heartbreak. The Indians have 9 games remaining against teams above .500...the 6 with the Tigers and 3 games in Texas. Considering JV's turn in the rotation is pretty much a win...I don't think it's too much to ask for 2-2 in those other 4 games. If you average 3-2 in each 5 game segment, they'll close 20-14 and flirt with 90 wins. To me, this sets up for them to win this going away but it appeared that way in other years.

[Shoalzie]

While I hope the Tigers leave the Indians in the dust...I am a sucker for a nice story and Thome going back to Cleveland for the last month is kinda cool for nostalgia sake. He's got his 600th HR...would he just call it a career after this?

The Tigers still have 6 more games with the Indians including the last 3 games of the season in Cleveland. I hope the lead is at least 4 going into the end of the season because the Tigers shrink late in the year and they've been awful in Progressive and then throw their all-time nemesis Thome into the mix. That's where the lead would go to die. If the rotation holds form, Verlander would be slated to throw game 162. In a perfect world, he doesn't need to throw that game and he's saved for Game 1 of the ALDS.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Rack the Doug Fister acquisition. He's already won as many games in a Tiger uniform as he did his entire time in Seattle this season. Could easily be their #3 guy going into the playoffs. Consistent and solid, just couldn't get any run support in Seattle, hence the horrible W/L record. WAR going into Tampa and throwing a shut out and taking 3 of 4 from the Rays.

[M Club]

kind of funny his one shelling was against the orioles, of all teams. like to know what happend to pauley in between here and there, though.

definitely feel more comfortable having fister go #3 than porcello. penny can die in a fire once the playoffs start, for all i care. otherwise, porcello: seems to have that verlander circa 09 and 10 thing where he'd schedule in a big three-run inning among an otherwise dominant performance, only porcello seems to have two-innings' worth of brainfart in him. figure start him with the idea of pulling him as soon as he lets two consecutive runners on, haha. below or coke are capable of pitching from then until the 7th.

[War Wagon]

Currently there isn't another team in the Central worth a fuck.

Meanwhile, the Royals buttfucked Sherzer in the mouf tonight... and my FB pitching staff for the entire week. You're welcome, Shoalzie.

This team can flat out hit. If they can wheel and deal and acquire some decent SP pitching next year...

[Shoalzie]

Scherzer sucks ass tonight...no doubt. The Royals are going to be a bitch of a spoiler down the stretch because they can hit and the Indians and Sox both shave a game off the lead. Hopefully Fister tomorrow can slow down the KC bats. The Sox come to town over the weekend...I don't want to see that lead at 3 or lower or that series could be for the division lead and then they head back to Cleveland for 3 after that. The Tigers can't let the next 10 days or so get away from them.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Ah well. 162 game season...that'll happen. Scherzer certainly has been good more often than bad.

[M Club]

true that. tigers can probably go .500 here on out and will still win the division as long as adam dunn keeps getting his four ab's a game.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

Detroit absolutely refuses to win a game by more than a run. Every game has to be bottom of the 9th drama.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

I know but Detroit actually has good players so it can be frustrating.

[Shoalzie]

I don't know if crazy old Jim planned it this way but he can have Verlander throw tonight in the opener in the Chicago series and Wednesday in the finale of the Cleveland series...essentially giving the Tigers a win in each series and not allowing the Tribe or the Sox gain more than a game in the process. I don't know if they have another 7 out of 8 stretch in them but if they want to make some breathing room for themselves, they win 4 or 5 out of these next 6 against their closest competition. Both are 5-1/2 back going into today...gaining a game in the standings at worst would be great. When the lead is under 7 games, I like to call it a one-week lead...one bad week and you can lose it all. I'd love to see them eventually push it up to 7 or 8 games and don't give either team an opportunity to make up ground. A taking just 1-of-3 in each series wouldn't be disastrous but it would make things tighter than they'd need to be with still a full month left to go.