Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are on the brink of playoff elimination, down 0-2 in the series after being defeated 7-6 by the Baltimore Orioles in last Friday’s game. Pitcher Justin Verlander started for the Tigers in this game. In game 1, Baltimore defeated Detroit 12-3, including 8 runs in the 8th inning. Pitcher Max Scherzer started for the Tigers in game 1.

Sunday’s game 3 is a must-win for Detroit. The Tigers will host the Orioles at home in Comerica Park. Tigers’ pitcher David Price is aware of the high expectations and the pressure to perform well in game 3. The Tigers obtained Price from the Tampa Bay Rays via a 3-team trade just before the league’s deadline on July 31st. They had 1 goal in mind with this move: a World Series championship.

Price is no stranger to pressure. In the Tigers final regular season game, Price assisted the team in defeating the Minnesota Twins by pitching over 7 shutout innings. This victory led Detroit to clinch their 4th consecutive AL Central Division title. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus is noted saying Price has unparalleled focus on each of his pitches and there is no lack of concentration here.

Centerfielder Rajai Davis will not start in Sunday’s game as he has been battling an injury over the past week. He played in both games 1 and 2 but was not able to play 9 innings in either. He may be able to assist the Tigers late in game 3 if needed. If the Tigers win on Sunday, Scherzer is expected to start as pitcher in game 4 on Monday, October 6th.

The Orioles have an aggressive swinging lineup and Detroit will need to pull some serious help from the bullpen, even if Price pitches well in game 3. Winning 3 in a row is not impossible for Detroit, but it will be a challenge they must be ready to now face.

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.