AL Central

The Detroit Tigers have one of the best prospects in all of baseball in pitcher Jacob Turner, but now is the time that the organization needs to trade the budding star. 

The Tigers came into the 2012 season with the highest of all expectations. After winning the AL Central in 2011 and signing slugger Prince Fielder in the offseason, there's only one thing left to accomplish in 2012—winning the World Series. 

The Chicago White Sox have cried uncle in their attempt to use Chris Sale in the starting rotation. Forget Sale's goal of a 200-inning season. The White Sox are ending the ruse after just 32.

Am I suggesting that Chicago was never serious about the notion of Sale returning to the role of a starting pitcher? I'm not sitting in the White Sox clubhouse, but I'm sifting through the early details of this move and something doesn't add up.

There is not a better immediate feeling than whacking a walk-off home run before a full house at your home ballpark.

There is not a worse feeling than pitching a gem of a ballgame, only to watch your hard work sail over the right center field wall.

Such is the beauty and cruelty of baseball, as it were on full display at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday night.

April behind them, the Detroit Tigers kicked off the month of May with a much-needed homestand victory. Jim Leyland and crew defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-3 at Comerica Park following Monday's rain out, which shortened the series to two games.

By the end of this weekend, the baseball world will be swimming in highlights from 20-year-old Mike Trout’s call up in Cleveland and 19-year-old Bryce Harper’s debut in Los Angeles.

Come Monday morning, fans will drag their bodies back to work, talking about these two future All-Stars over hot coffee and cubicles.

Two Detroit sports underdogs peeled off their uniforms for the last time as members of their respective teams, and they both did it on Thursday.

While that’s not where the similarities end, the endings couldn’t have been more different. The only thing the cessations of their careers have in common is that they happened within hours of each other.

The MLB season is off and running, with teams scrambling to get off to a good start. For the Chicago White Sox, it has been a mix of very good and somewhat concerning.

Just the fact that many people projected the White Sox finishing in the bottom part of the American League shows that that they are better than many predicted.

Here are some reasons why the White Sox are a darkhorse for the playoffs.

The Indians are currently 8-6, one game behind both the Tigers and White Sox in the AL Central.

With a collection of solid hitters in the lineup (Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, Travis Hafner, Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis), the Indians have the potential to compete for a playoff spot.

Cleveland was, once upon a time, a baseball town, featuring a team on the cusp of the World Series and perennial All-Stars like CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez.

Those days are a distant memory.

As I'm sure most of you know at this point, Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber tossed the 21st perfect game in major league history.

Humber was absolutely masterful in Saturday's 4-0 win against the Seattle Mariners, striking out nine and throwing just 96 pitches.