Detroit Tigers

Let’s play ball! The Detroit Tigers are currently in first place in their division of the American League despite losing 3 of 4 games last weekend against the Cleveland Indians. The Tigers lead the American League Central division by 5-1/2 games. The Tigers’ Central division opponents include: the Indians, the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers are currently 2nd in the league overall for team batting average and 4th in the league for runs.

In Sunday’s game against the Indians, Drew Smyly pitched an excellent 4th game in the series to help avoid the sweep, allowing only 4 hits in 7 innings, permitting the Tigers to win 5-1. The left-handed pitcher is scheduled to throw again when the Tigers face the Los Angeles Angels next Friday.

The player trade deadline for this season is July 31st. Postseason play begins September 30th with the 4 wildcard teams vying for the final spots. 10 of the 30 league teams make the playoffs, 5 from each conference made up of the 3 divisional winners as well as 2 wildcard teams.

The Tigers hit the road on Monday with an MLB best record of 28-16 for away games. They will look to improve upon this best record as they face the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase field. Monday’s game started Detroit’s road trip of 7 games: 3 against the Diamondbacks, followed by 4 against the Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. They won the first game against Arizona 4-3. Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello will pitch at Arizona for the first 2 games.

The Tigers have been American League Central Division champions from 2011-2013. With a 5-1/2 game lead, it looks promising that they’ll be able to keep this title. Will this year be the season they are able to advance further into the playoffs? The last time Detroit won one the World Series was 1984. Next week the Tigers face the Chicago White Sox at home for a 3 game series as they continue this quest.

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are currently 54-44, putting them 1st in baseball’s American League Eastern Division. The Orioles are 4th in the league for team batting average and 9th in the league overall for runs. Their division rivals include: the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles currently lead the Yankees and Blue Jays by 4 games.

Most recently, the Orioles beat the LA Angels on the road winning 4-2 thanks to center fielder Adam Jones’ 2 home runs, which brought in all 4 of the Orioles runs for the game. Jones now has 9 RBIs since the MLB All Star break. This is a great win after the Orioles dropped 2 of their last 3 games on the road against the Oakland As. Bud Norris pitched, making his first start since July 9, and Zach Britton pitched a perfect 9th inning to close the game.

The Orioles have made it known they are seeking help in rotation as well as the bullpen before the league’s upcoming trade deadline (July 31) and have expressed some interest in Phillies pitcher A.J. Burnett. Other teams including the Pirates are rumored to have interest in trading for Burnett as well. Buck Showalter, the Orioles’ manager said the organization has considered possible trade scenarios but wants to be careful about a selection and is not willing to expense its long-term future. With just over a week to go before the deadline, teams still have time to make some major moves in hopes of finishing the season strong before heading into the playoffs.

The Orioles continue their road trip with 2 more games against the Angels followed by 3 at Seattle until July 29, when they return to Camden Yards in Baltimore to host the Angels and then the Mariners.