The Detroit Tigers were heavy favorites to win the AL Central and considered a possible World Series team in spring training as a couple of big moves created a very dangerous lineup. An incredibly poor start to the season left Detroit with a big hole to climb out of and there is still a significant but not insurmountable gap between Detroit and serious contention with the Twins and White Sox on top of the division. August has the potential to be the month where Detroit finally hits its stride however as the schedule lines up favorably.

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Miguel Cabrera was the centerpiece of the additions with expectations of an MVP-type season to lead Detroit. Cabrera has taken his share of criticism but it is hard to argue with his production at this point in the season (.298 AVG, 20 HRs, 82 RBIs) and if the Tigers make a push in the coming months he could well be raising the MVP trophy. With Magglio Ordonez and Curtis Granderson recovered from injuries and Carlos Guillen and Placido Polanco continuing to solidify the lineup this is still a team that can produce big numbers. Gary Sheffield and Edgar Renteria have been the most disappointing members of the lineup but if the veterans can come up with solid play in the final two months this can still be a team that makes a run.

The trade of Ivan Rodriguez comes a bit of a surprise and perhaps a signal of surrender but Brandon Inge might be able to find his swing with a more consistent spot in the lineup. In all this team is still capable of posting huge numbers on offense and although they have not lived up to the spring training hype, Detroit owns one of the top batting averages in baseball at .277 and they have been especially effective against left-handed pitching.

August started with an ugly three game series in Tampa where the Tigers were swept but this could be a great month for Detroit. The Tigers must now play three games against the White Sox in Chicago in an important division series but then the schedule becomes very favorable. From August 8th to early September the Tigers play 20 of 26 games at home and all of the home games until the final four are against teams that have losing records. The Tigers play a three-game set in Texas and a three-game set in Kansas City so the road games are not exactly daunting locations either and the Rangers will be the only winning team faced in the first 22 games of that stretch.

The Tigers should be able to pick up some ground in the division as both the White Sox and Twins will face more challenging scheduling. Chicago must play Boston six times in August and although Chicago is at home for much of the month they do face travel to both coasts mixed into the schedule. Chicago also must play three games against a very solid Tampa Bay team at home. The Twins just took over first place in the division but the August schedule could send Minnesota back to the middle of the pack as the Twins will play 24 of 30 games away from home starting in mid-August, featuring travel to both coasts and quality opponents.

Pitching has been the main issue for the Tigers as Jeremy Bonderman and Dontrelle Willis, two pitchers expected to anchor the rotation have produced three wins. Justin Verlander and Kenny Rogers have not enjoyed their best seasons and Nate Robertson has labored with a 6.06 ERA. There is some hope however as Zach Miner has pitched well since moving to the rotation and rookie Armando Galarraga has delivered great results for Detroit this season.

The bullpen has been a huge problem for the Tigers and if Detroit continues to deliver mediocre results relief pitching will be to blame. The Tigers have blown 18 save opportunities this season and own one of the highest bullpen ERAs in baseball. There appeared to be some hope for the bullpen with the return of Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney but an injury has derailed Zumaya again and Rodney has pitched horribly in recent weeks. Closer Todd Jones has also hit the DL with a shoulder issue although he has been part of the problem with a very high ERA. The bullpen was not effective so it is possible that the replacement pitchers could show improvement but Kyle Farnsworth and Rodney managed to blow a great outing by Galarraga last Sunday.

Although Detroit’s pitching makes them a flawed team, the AL Central is up for grabs as Minnesota and Chicago have not proven capable of running away with the division. If the bats get hot in the final two months the Tigers could come up with a great finish to the season and they are still within reach of catching either team and climbing into the division or even the Wild Card race. They may not have enough to make the playoffs but expect Detroit to be much closer by the end of August as the schedule sets up for a strong month despite the inauspicious start.